Chicago Voters Face Six Statewide Questions and Multiple Ward‑Specific Ballot Items in November The November Chicago ballot will feature six statewide advisory questions on gun‑shot detection renewal, federal compensation for ICE operations, a proposed millionaire‑tax revenue split, and municipal property‑tax support, plus ward‑specific questions on mental health, housing, park designation and corporate tax. All are non‑binding but reflect urgent local and state policy debates. Voters in Chicago will be presented with six statewide advisory questions on the November ballot, plus a series of ward‑specific questions that will appear only for residents in certain districts. The statewide items ask about whether the city should reinstate ShotSpotter gun‑shot detection, whether Chicago should seek federal compensation for the costs of the Trump‑era Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations known as the Midway Blitz, whether Illinois should adopt a "Millionaires Tax" that would raise a three percent surcharge on incomes above one million dollars, how the resulting revenue would be split to reduce property taxes and boost public‑school funding, and whether the city should assess an additional fee on owners of long‑term vacant or undeveloped commercial properties to support Chicago Public Schools. Each of these six questions is non‑binding; they simply gauge voter sentiment.Ward-Specific Ballot QuestionsIn addition to the municipal ballot, residents in various wards will answer questions tailored to their local issues. In the mid‑northside and far southwest, voters will weigh proposals to increase mental‑health services. Ward 4 voters will consider erecting a life‑size monument to Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in the median near 4946 South Drexel.Ward 26 will decide on limiting the number of shared‑housing units to address the city's rental‑housing shortage. The 7th Ward will face a question about supporting a national‑park designation along the Lake Michigan shoreline, while the 7th and 10th wards will discuss remediation of the Former South Works Site and federal support for the nearby Quantum Facility and Data Center.Ward‑specific questions also cover a proposed tax on corporations with 500 or more employees (excluding grocery stores and non‑profits) aimed at funding youth‑jobs, mental‑health care and violence‑prevention services, as well as a question in the 21st ward about whether liquor sales should remain prohibited. The ballot thus blends broad fiscal and civic policy concerns with highly localized priorities, reflecting ongoing debates over public safety technology, federal accountability, tax reform and community development.AdReferenda Nature And ContextThe advisory nature of the questions means that while voters' responses can influence political dialogue, no binding actions will be taken directly as a result of the November votes. The advisory referenda all take place in the context of larger municipal and state discussions. After the city ended its ShotSpotter contract two years ago, residents have been split over whether to resurrect the system that alerts first responders to gunfire.The Michigan‑Blinked operation drew national scrutiny, and Chicago now faces complex questions about whether to seek compensation from the federal government for lost tax revenues and public‑safety costs recorded during the operation. Meanwhile, the "Millionaires Tax" would impose a new revenue stream that could simultaneously lower property‑tax burdens for up to 41,000 residents, while delivering up to $4 billion a year by 2030 to state public‑school dollars,