Voters Pass Advisory Referendum on Term Limits for Elected Officials (Updated)

UPDATED: 1:29 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7

Although the referendum is non-binding, the message from Tinley Park voters when it comes to term limits for elected village officials was clear: They want them.

READ: Petition Filed for Referendum on Term Limits in Tinley Park

An advisory referendum asking the Village Board to discuss imposing term limits for elected officials passed Tuesday, Nov. 6, by a 16,126 to 6,386 margin.

The question on the ballot asked the following: “Shall the Village Board of the Village of Tinley Park pass an Ordinance imposing term limits on all elected officials?” Because it's only an advisory referendum, the board is not required to take any action on the request.

READ: Tinley Attorney Announces Mayoral Candidacy

The referendum was added to the ballot after . In late September, Eberhardt announced he was running for Tinley Park mayor in April. He will face off against longtime Mayor Ed Zabrocki.

While the referendum did pass overwhelmingly, some voters reported issues with it not appearing on ballots at two Tinley Park polling places, precinct 70 at Faith Church and the Bettenhausen Recreation Center. Officials at both precincts said the referendum was listed on the proper ballots.

VOTE: Should Local Elected Officials Have Term Limits?

At the rec center, the confusion stemmed from a voter asking for federal-only ballot but wanting to vote on the referendum as well, said poll worker Lawrence Throne.

Election judges from precinct 70 contacted the Cook County Clerk's Office on Tuesday about the confusion, said Courtney Greve, a spokeswoman for the clerk's office. Because of the length of the ballot—taking up two pages on paper and more than a dozen screens electronically—and because the referendum was listed toward the end, some voters thought the term limits item was missing.

"People simply missed it," Greve said, adding that voters tend to stop voting the further down the ballot they go, instead of making uninformed choices on races.

The clerk's office verified the referendum was on electronic and paper ballots, Greve said.

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