55 ILCS 5/2-5013
Any county which has adopted the county executive form of government may discontinue that form of government only as provided in this Section. The board upon receipt of a petition, not less than 78 days before a general election, calling for discontinuance of the county executive form of government and signed by a number of registered voters of the county equal to or greater than 5% of the number who voted in the last regular election held in the county at which county officers were elected shall provide by resolution for submission of the proposition for discontinuance to the electors of the county at the next general election. The board shall certify the resolution and the proposition to the proper election officials who shall submit the proposition at the next general election in accordance with the general election law. The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:
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Shall the County of .... discontinue the county executive YES form of government and (if a home ----------------------------------------------------- rule county) become a nonhome rule NO county?
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If a majority of the voters voting on the proposition vote in favor of discontinuance of the county executive form of government, the office of county executive shall be abolished as of the first Monday in December following the holding of the election and the board elected in the county shall meet, organize and resume the conduct of the affairs of the county wholly as the county board. A referendum under this Section may be held in any county only once within any 47-month period.
55 ILCS 5/2-5013