Elections were held in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
on Tuesday, November 2, 1954.
Primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
were held April 13, 1954.
Election information
1954 was a
midterm election
Apart from general elections and by-elections, midterm election
refers to a type of election where the people can elect their representatives and other subnational officeholders (e.g. governor, members of local council) in the middle of the term ...
year in the United States.
Turnout
In the primary election, turnout was 32.06% with 1,695,491 ballots cast (957,042 Democratic and 738,449 Republican).
In the general election, turnout was 65.34% with 3,455,173 ballots cast.
Federal elections
United States Senate
Democratic Senator
Paul Douglas
Paul Howard Douglas (March 26, 1892 – September 24, 1976) was an American politician and Georgist economist. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois for eighteen years, from 1949 to 1967. During his Senat ...
was reelected to a second term.
United States House
All 25 Illinois seats in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
were up for election in 1954.
Democrats flipped three Republican-held seats, leaving the Illinois House delegation to consist of 13 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
State elections
Treasurer
Incumbent first-term
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
, Republican
Elmer J. Hoffman
Elmer Joseph Hoffman (July 7, 1899 – June 25, 1976) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
Born on a farm in Du Page County, near Wheaton, Illinois, Hoffman attended the public schools of Wheaton. He enlisted in the Artillery Corps durin ...
, did not seek reelection. Republican
Warren Wright, a former one-term holder of the office, was elected to succeed him.
This was the final Illinois Treasurer election to a two-year term, as voters also approved a
a constitutional amendment which extended term length to four-years beginning in the following election.
Democratic primary
Republican primary
Former Illinois Treasurer
Warren Wright won the Republican primary. He defeated fellow former Illinois Treasurer
Conrad F. Becker, as well as Robert J. Branson.
General election
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent
Superintendent of Public Instruction
A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...
Vernon L. Nickell, a Republican, was elected to a fourth term.
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
State Senate
Seats in the
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...
were up for election in 1954. Republicans retained control of the chamber.
State House of Representatives
Seats in the
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
were up for election in 1954. Republicans retained control of the chamber.
Trustees of University of Illinois
An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
.
The election saw the reelection of Democrat former member Kenney E. Williamson (who previously had served one full term and a partial term), and first-term Democratic incumbents George Wirt Herrick, Frances Best Watkins.
[
]
Judicial elections
Supreme Court
= Fifth Supreme Court Judicial District
=
A judicial election was held on June 7, 1954, for the Fifth Supreme Court Judicial District. Republican Joseph E. Daily
Joseph E. Daily (January 27, 1888 – July 1, 1965) was an American jurist.
Born in Manito, Illinois, Daily received his law degree from Yale Law School. Daily then practiced law in Peoria, Illinois in 1909. In 1911, Daily was elected Peoria c ...
was unopposed.
Lower courts
On November 2, 1954, a special election was held to fill a vacancy on the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Ballot measures
Three ballot measures were put before voters in 1954. All three were legislatively referred constitutional amendment
A legislative referral (or legislative referendum) is a referendum in which a legislature puts proposed legislation up for popular vote. This may either be voluntarily or, as is the case in many countries for a constitutional amendment, as a man ...
s.
In order to be approved, legislatively referred state statues required the support of a majority of those voting on the statute. In order to be placed on the ballot, proposed legislatively referred constitutional amendments needed to be approved by two-thirds of each house of the Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...
.[Illinois Constitution of 1870 ARTICLE XIV Section 2] In order to be approved, they required approval of either two-thirds of those voting on the amendment itself or a majority of all ballots cast in the general elections.
Illinois Michigan Canal Amendment
The Illinois Michigan Canal Amendment was approved. It eliminated from the constitution the requirement that the Illinois and Michigan Canal
The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Po ...
or other canal and or waterway could only be sold or leased with specific approval of a majority of voters participating in a general state election. It also removed from the constitution the provision under which the Illinois deep waterway was both financed and constructed.
Legislative Apportionment Amendment
Legislative Apportionment Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which amended Sections 6, 7, and 8 of Article IV of the 1870 Constitution of Illinois
The Constitution of the State of Illinois is the governing document of the state of Illinois. There have been four Illinois Constitutions; the fourth and current version was adopted in 1970. The current constitution is referred to as the "Constit ...
was approved by voters. Among other specifications, it directed the Illinois General Assembly to elect one Senator from each of 58 senatorial districts and three representatives from each of 59 representative districts.
In order for constitutional amendments to be passed by voters, they required either two-thirds support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[1870 Illinois Constitution Article XIV]
State Treasurer Amendment
State Treasurer Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which amended Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Article IV of the 1870 Constitution of Illinois
The Constitution of the State of Illinois is the governing document of the state of Illinois. There have been four Illinois Constitutions; the fourth and current version was adopted in 1970. The current constitution is referred to as the "Constit ...
was approved by voters. Among its changes was, beginning with the 1956 election, making the term of the State Treasurer be expanded from two to four years.
In order for constitutional amendments to be passed by voters, they required either two-thirds support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.
Local elections
Local elections were held.
References
{{Illinois elections
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...