Votes for 'Bring Chicago Home' tax referendum will be counted after new court ruling

CHICAGO - The Illinois Appellate Court has reinstated the citywide referendum question regarding "Bring Chicago Home" to the primary ballot on Election Day.

The new ruling was handed down Wednesday and it vacates the initial judgment by the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

"The initial judgment of the Circuit Court of Cook County is vacated and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the complaint for lack of jurisdiction," said Max Bever, with the Chicago Board of Elections, in a statement. "All votes cast for the citywide question will be counted and reported by the Chicago Board of Elections on Election Night." 

If voters are in favor of the measure, it would increase a real estate tax on high-end property sales to fund services for homeless people. 

RELATED: Cook County judge rules 'Bring Chicago Home' tax referendum invalidated on March primary ballot

Similar ballot measures are rare but other major cities, including Los Angeles, have approved "mansion taxes."

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke on the court's ruling late Wednesday afternoon:

"As we have said from the beginning and as the Appellate Court agreed today, this was always a question wisely left to the voters of Chicago. I am pleased that Chicagoans will have the opportunity to weigh in on Bring Chicago Home which is intended to provide a dedicated revenue source to combat homelessness," Johnson said. "I encourage all Chicagoans to make their voices heard by voting in this election."

Chair of the End Homelessness Ballot Initiative Committee and Board President of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Maxica Williams issued this statement on the new ruling: 

"Our longstanding coalition of policy advocates, service providers, labor unions, and homeless and formerly homeless people commend the judges of the First District Appellate Court for dismissing the real estate lobby’s effort to invalidate Ballot Question 1. We look forward to keeping up our efforts to reach hundreds of thousands of voters about their opportunity to vote yes for a fair and sustainable plan to fund housing, care for the homeless, and ask wealthy real estate corporations to pay their fair share."

For more information on the measure and what it entails, follow this link.