The Illinois Capital Building in Springfield, Illinois.

The state government of Illinois is modeled after the federal government with adaptations originating from traditions cultivated during the state's frontier era.^[1] The capital of Illinois is located in Springfield. As codified in the state constitution, there are three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is led by the Governor of Illinois. Legislative functions are given to the Illinois General Assembly, comprising the 118-member Illinois State House of Representatives and the 59-member Illinois State Senate. The judiciary is headed by the state supreme court, which oversees the lower appelate courts and circuit courts. An amended Constitution was approved by voted in a special referendum and went into effect on December 15, 1970. Image File history File links Illinoiscapital. ... Image File history File links Illinoiscapital. ... Motto: Nickname: Map Political Statistics Founded 1819 Incorporated Sangamon County Mayor Timothy Davlin Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 156. ... The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois is the secondary chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the lieutenant governor has specific jurisdiction. ... Pat Quinn (1948-) is a United States politician from the state of Illinois. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. ... Lisa Madigan (born July 30, 1966 in Chicago) is the current and 41st Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... The Secretary of State of Illinois is the keeper of the official records, laws, and Great Seal of the U.S. state of Illinois. ... Jesse White (born June 23, 1934) is a Democratic American politician. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Daniel W. Hynes (born July 20, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is currently the Comptroller of the State of Illinois. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... This page is about an active politician who is either running for office, is in office and campaigning for re-election, or is involved in some political conflict or controversy. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American politician. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Motto: Nickname: Map Political Statistics Founded 1819 Incorporated Sangamon County Mayor Timothy Davlin Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 156. ... The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. ... The Illinois General Assembly convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. ... The Illinois House of Representatives convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. ... The Illinois Senate convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. ... The supreme court in some countries, provinces, and states, functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be challenged. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ... Circuit courts previously were United States federal courts established in each federal judicial district. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

Politics

As one of the places held to be the birthplace of the Republican party, the GOP was long dominant in Illinois. This has changed and the state has supported Democratic presidential candidates since 1992. John Kerry easily won the state's 21 electoral votes in 2004 by a margin of 11 percentage points with 54.8% of the vote. Traditionally Chicago, East Saint Louis, and the Illinois portion of the Quad Cities tend to vote heavily Democratic, along with the Central Illinois population centers of Peoria, Champaign-Urbana, Springfield and Decatur. Rural districts tend to vote more heavily Republican, but some, particularly in the southern part of the state, have voted Democratic as well. Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... East St. ... The I-74 Bridge, connecting Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois is located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities. ... Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria CountyGR6, Illinois, in the United States. ... Chambana is a nickname for the Champaign_Urbana region in Illinois. ... Motto: Nickname: Map Political Statistics Founded 1819 Incorporated Sangamon County Mayor Timothy Davlin Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 156. ... The Decatur Transfer House in the background with a newly completed fountain in the foreground. ...

See also

• Illinois

Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Springfield Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq. ...

References

1. ^ Wikisource. Illinois Constitution of 1818.