The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 4, 2008.
Primaries were held February 5, 2008.
Elections were held for Clerk of the Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, State's Attorney, Board of Review districts 2 and 3, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.
2012 was a presidential election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal races (President and House) and those for state elections.
Voter turnout in Cook County during the primaries was 47.95%, with 1,274,569 ballots cast. Among these, 1,091,008 Democratic, 200,750 Republican, 112 Green, 4 Moderate, and 2,125 nonpartisan primary ballots were cast. The city of Chicago saw 52.70% turnout and suburban Cook County saw 43.3% turnout.
The general election saw 73.71% turnout, with 2,162,240 ballots cast. Chicago saw 73.87% turnout and suburban Cook County saw 73.54% turnout.
In the 2008 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election, incumbent second-term Clerk Dorothy A. Brown, a Democrat, was reelected.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Diane Shapiro.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary. The Green Party ultimately nominated Paloma Andrade.
In the 2008 Cook County Recorder of Deeds election, incumbent Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore, a Democrat, was reelected. Moore had first been appointed in 1999 (after Jesse White resigned to become Illinois Secretary of State), and had been elected to two full-terms.
Incumbent Record Eugene Moore defeated a challenge from Ed Smith (Chicago City Council alderman from the 28th ward).
Smith's candidacy had received endorsements from prominent figures, including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (who rarely gave endorsements in contested county primaries), Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, and business executive John W. Rogers Jr.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Gregory Goldstein.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary. The Green Party ultimately nominated Terrence A. Gilhooly
In the 2008 Cook County State's Attorney election, incumbent third-term State's Attorney Richard A. Devine, a Democrat, did not seek reelection. Democrat Anita Alvarez was elected to succeed him.
Alvarez became the first Hispanic woman elected to this position, after also having been the first Latina to win the Democratic nomination for the office.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary. The Green Party ultimately nominated Thomas O'Brien.
In the 2008 Cook County Board of Review election, two seats, both Democratic-held, were up for election. Both incumbents won reelection.
The Cook County Board of Review has its three seats rotate the length of terms. In a staggered fashion (in which no two seats have coinciding two-year terms), the seats rotate between two consecutive four-year terms and a two-year term.
Incumbent third-term member Joseph Berrios, a Democrat last reelected in 2006, was reelected. Berrios had served since the Board of Review was constituted in 1998, and had served on its predecessor organization, the Cook County Board of Appeals, for another ten years. This election was to a four-year term.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Lauren Elizabeth McCracken-Quirk.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary. The Green Party ultimately nominated Howard Kaplan.
Incumbent first-term member Larry Rogers, Jr., a Democrat elected in 2004, was reelected. This election was to a four-year term.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Lionel Garcia.
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary. The Green Party ultimately nominated Antonne "Tony" Cox.
In the 2008 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an at-large election.
Three incumbent Democrats were reelected to their seats.
All three incumbents were renominated.
No candidates ran in the Republican primary.
Partisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.
Partistan elections were also held for subcircuit courts judgeships due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.
Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republican committeemen for the wards of Chicago.