Voters will be able to kick a governor out of office instead of waiting for the legislature, as was the case with former governor Rod Blagojevich. The process wouldn't be easy and some say it's unconstitutional.
65 percent of voters approved the recall referendum. The approval of the referendum follows the convictions of Illinois' last two governors: Blagojevich and George Ryan.
"We need to allow citizens to take their government back and this is desperately needed to do that," said State Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo, Ill. Democrat.
Franks, who sponsored the recall legislation for the ballot, admits it's not perfect.
The recall process will be complicated:
If all steps are followed, an election to recall would take place.
Before the election, Harvey Grossman, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, criticized the amendment.
"I think the legislature needs to go back to the drawing board on this one," said Grossman.
According to the ACLU, the petition requirement could be a problem because voters in counties with smaller populations would have more power than those in larger counties. "Anytime this comes into play in the future, the vulnerability of this amendment will come to light," said Grossman.
"The ACLU says a lot of things. Oftentimes they're wrong. I think they're wrong here," said Franks.
Regardless, it is likely that any recall vote will end up in court. Illinois' recall would only apply to the governor. Eighteen states currently have some form of voter recall.
