The results strongly favored the Republican Party,[3] which retained control both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly as well as all statewide elected executive offices. They also won the state in the presidential election, retained the U.S. Senate seat up for election, and flipped a single U.S. House seat.
In the primary election turnout was 36.96%, with a total of 1,839,577 ballots cast (961,999 Democratic and 877,578 Republican).[1][2][4]
In the general election turnout was 85.95%, with a total of 4,484,956 ballots cast.[1][5][6]
Federal elections
United States President
Illinois voted for the Republican ticket of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. For the second consecutive election, Illinois' vote for the Republican Eisenhower-Nixon ticket came despite the fact that former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II was the Democratic presidential nominee.
United States Senate
Republican Senator Everett Dirksen was reelected to a second term.
Auditor of Public AccountsOrville Hodge, who had been elected in 1952, was seeking re-election and had won the Republican primary before being charged with 54 counts of bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery relating to a $6.15 million fraud he committed against the state; Hodge was removed from office, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison.
Lloyd Morey was appointed in 1957 to replace Hodge, but decided not to seek reelection. Republican Elbert S. Smith was elected to succeed Morey.
Incumbent TreasurerWarren Wright, a Republican, did not seek reelection to a second-consecutive (third overall) term, instead opting to run (ultimately unsuccessfully) for the Republican nomination for governor. Republican Elmer J. Hoffman was elected to succeed him in office, earning Hoffman a second non-consecutive term as Treasurer.
Instead of being listed by her own name, Searcy opted to be listed on the ballot in both the primary and general election as "Ms. Earle Benjamin Searcy".[1][2][5]
An election using cumulative voting was held for three of the nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois.[5] All three Republican nominees won.[5] The election was for 6-year terms.
Incumbent Republican Wayne A. Johnston won a second term.[7] Incumbent Republican Timothy W. Swain, appointed in 1955 after the resignation of Red Grange, won election to his first full term.[7] Also, joining them in winning election, was Republican Earl M. Hughes.[5][7] Incumbent first-term Republican Herbert B. Megran had not been nominated for reelection.[5][7]
Trustees of the University of Illinois election[5][7]
On April 10, special elections were held for vacancies on the Third and Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Districts. On November 2, special elections were held for three vacancies on the Superior Court of Cook County.[1]
Ballot measures
Two ballot measures, were put before Illinois voters in 1956.
The Revenue Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which would have amended Article IX Sections 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 and repeal Article IX Section 13 of the 1870 Constitution of Illinois to give more leeway to the legislature in creating tax policy, while specifically forbidding the authorization of a graduatedincome tax, failed to meet either threshold for adoption.[5][9] In order for constitutional amendments to pass, they required either two-thirds support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[10][11]
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