According to unofficial results, voters approved a referendum supporting the recovery of the costs associated with Operation Midway Blitz by a nearly 84.5 percent margin. 

The non-binding question (R2026-0026834), initiated by Mayor Brandon Johnson, asked voters for their opinion on the city trying to recoup costs associated with the Trump administration’s “violent, militarized” immigration actions in the city. Financial compensation could include “lost tax revenue, public safety response costs and services provided to residents and families affected by those operations.”  

Voters also approved a ballot question that asked for voters’ opinions on the establishment of a permanent festival and outdoor event space for large-scale events held in Chicago, such as food and music festivals, concerts, sporting events and cultural celebrations. 

According to unofficial results, the question was approved with about 67.3 percent of the vote. 

The resolution (R2026-0025459) placing the question on the ballot, sponsored by Ald. Nicole Lee (11), says that the “increasing demand” for these types of events has strained the capacity of the city parks, streets and other public spaces that have typically hosted large events to continue hosting them without significant impacts on local communities. 

In September, parts of Douglass Park were turned into mud patches after a rainy Riot Fest weekend. Restoration of the park has taken weeks, and one estimate for the restoration costs — which is being picked up by festival organizers — was about $400,000-600,000, Block Club Chicago reported.  

The question was already on the ballot by the time of this year’s festival, but Riot Fest’s annual takeover of the park has been controversial among some in the nearby community for years.  

Finally, Chicagoans voted to approve a ballot question (R2026-0025451) led by Ald. Marty Quinn (13) that asked whether the city should “restart the use of gunshot detection technology that informs first responders” of a possible shooting in order to more quickly deploy life-saving aid. 

According to unofficial results, the question was approved with about 72.5 percent of the vote.  

Ever since Johnson announced the cancellation of the city’s contract with the ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection system in 2024, many on the City Council have vouched for its effectiveness in their wards and made attempts to either nullify the mayor’s action or bring the system back. 

Most recently, the City Council’s Committee on Contracting Oversight and Equity passed an ordinance that would compel the completion of a two-plus-year process initiated by Johnson to evaluate firms and issue a new award for technology that bridges gun violence detection and first responder dispatch.   

Related: Contracting committee approves ordinance to compel finalization of ShotSpotter replacement procurement process  

The ordinance has yet to be considered by the full council. At that same contracting committee meeting, alderpeople learned that the Johnson administration was preparing to launch myriad pilot programs in multiple police districts “to evaluate a range of violence interruption and public safety technologies, including gunshot detection systems, with a particular focus on effectiveness, reliability and privacy protections,” according to the city’s chief procurement officer.