SOUTHERN ILLINOIS -- Though the total votes in Illinois appeared not enough to pass a proposed state constitutional amendment to switch Illinoisans to a graduated income tax system, its supporters say they want to make sure every vote is counted.
The so-called "Fair Tax" amendment saw 2,576,237 votes against it versus 2,095,965 votes in favor early Wednesday morning with 92 percent of Illinois votes counted.
The amendment requires 60 percent of Illinois voters to approve it for passage. Current totals show it with 44.9 percent favoring the measure and 55.1 percent opposed.
However, the campaign behind the tax system says it wants to ensure all votes are counted.
"This is a historic night for the people of Illinois. Voters from across Illinois have shown their support for both tax fairness and funding fairness, and hundreds of thousands of ballots are still outstanding," John Bouman, chairman of the Vote Yes for Fair Tax campaign said in a media statement. "The outcome won't be known until every ballot cast is counted -- including every vote at the polls (Tuesday), every early in-person vote and every vote sent by mail. We are fully prepared for that process to continue into the days ahead. This is a time for everyone to focus on ensuring that every ballot cast is counted."
