What is the Illinois Senate?
Q: What is the Illinois Senate?
A: The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber in the Illinois General Assembly, which is the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois.
Q: When was it created?
A: The Illinois Senate was created in 1818 by the constitution of the first state.
Q: How many senators are there?
A: There are 59 senators elected from individual legislative districts determined by population.
Q: How long are their terms?
A: According to Illinois' 1970 constitution, senators have either two-year or four-year terms depending on when they were elected and roughly one-third, two-thirds, or all Senate seats may be contested in any given election year.
Q: What is the House of Representatives made up of?
A: The House of Representatives is made up of 118 members with its entire membership elected to two-year terms.
Q: How are House districts formed?
A: House districts are formed by dividing each Senate district in half.
