the administrative divisions of illinois are counties, townships, precincts, cities, towns, villages, and special-purpose districts. the basic subdivisions of illinois are the 102 counties. illinois has more units of local government than any other state—over 8,000 in all. the constitution of 1970 created, for the first time in illinois, a type of "home rule", which allows localities to govern themselves to a certain extent. illinois also has several types of school districts and additional units of government that oversee many other functions.