Among registered voters, private sector taxpayers outnumber state and local public sector workers and pensioners nearly 20 to one in the 41st Illinois House district, according to a DuPage Policy Journal analysis.
The 41st District covers parts of Dupage and Will counties in Illinois, including Naperville. It is represented in Springfield by Republican Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville).
As of the March 2016 primary election, there were 79,362 registered voters in the 41st District; 4,008 are private sector taxpayers and 75,354 state or local government employees or pensioners.
The analysis comes amidst a raging debate over rising state and local government payroll spending and massive public pension debts, incurred unbeknownst to many local elected officials and taxpayers.
While they represent a small percentage of the overall vote, state and local government employees and pensioners do vote at higher rate than the average voter.
According to the analysis, voter turnout in 2014 was 46 percent for all voters. It was 64 percent for public employees and 77 percent for public pensioners.
In 2012, voter turnout was 60 percent. But 46 percent of public employees turned out, and 86 percent of public pensioners.
The numbers- Illinois District 41
| Registered Voters: | 79,362 | |
| Government Employees | 2,393 | 3% |
| Government Pensioners | 1,615 | 2% |
| TOTAL: | 4,008 | 5% |
| | | |
| 2014 Votes: | 36,662 | |
| Government Employees | 1,521 | 4.5% |
| Government Pensioners | 1,245 | 3.5% |
| TOTAL: | 2,766 | 8% |
| | | |
| 2012 Votes: | 48,005 | |
| Government Employees | 1,821 | 4% |
| Government Pensioners | 1,396 | 3% |
| TOTAL: | 3,217 | 7% |
Alerts Sign-up