ELECTION PROTECTION VOLUNTEERS IMPROVE VOTER ACCESS IN THE FEB 28 ILLINOIS CONSOLIDATED PRIMARY ELECTION

March 1, 2023: On Tuesday, voters in Chicago and select Illinois counties participated in municipal elections. They voted on offices and issues that have a significant effect on their lives at the local level, including for mayors, police district councils, alderpersons, and local referenda questions. Non-partisan Election Protection staff and volunteers from Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP answered voters’ calls to the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and assisted voters in the field. In partnership with Chicago Votes, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee also conducted non-partisan voter protection at Cook County Jail during early voting to ensure that people in pretrial detention could exercise their right to vote.

Municipal elections in Chicago can be hotly contested and pose unique challenges. Voters faced problems such as late polling place openings, electioneering, intimidation, language access barriers, accessibility barriers, locked doors, and incorrect ballots.

Chicago Lawyers’ Committee supported voters by advocating on a number of reports of electioneering and intimidation by candidates and campaigns. Through collaboration with voters, community partners, election judges, and Chicago Board of Elections, volunteers helped ease tensions in many polling places. No voter should be subjected to undue pressure at the polls, especially given the legacy of politicians intimidating voters of color in Chicago.

We also supported community partners in advocating for limited English proficient voters. Our team helped voters obtain translated ballots and assisted in locations that posed other physical and language accessibility barriers.

Accessibility is paramount to protecting the right to vote. We successfully addressed a number of barriers that voters faced in trying to simply get inside a polling place, from locked doors to unlabeled polling places and incorrectly published addresses.

When a security guard at a senior center was mistakenly asking for voters’ IDs upon entry, not realizing this would add an unnecessary barrier to access for voters, Chicago Lawyers' Committee stepped into action. Given that voters are not required to show ID to enter a polling place or to vote in Illinois, we worked with election personnel and Chicago Board of Elections to ensure that voters would no longer be asked to present ID at the door to vote.

Chicago Lawyers’ Committee helped several voters who had concerns about incorrect ballots, including voters who were mistakenly given provisional ballots that were unlikely to be counted promptly. After we successfully advocated for one voter to receive her regular ballot, the South Side voter stated, "I'm really grateful to Election Protection to speed up the process to make sure I could get my vote counted. I wouldn't have been able to vote without your assistance."

Chicago is one of the most segregated cities in America, and barriers to voting still persist, impacting communities of color in distinct and intersectional ways. As a result, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee remains dedicated to ensuring all voters feel safe to cast their ballot while feeling confident their ballots will be counted and their voices will be heard.

With anticipated challenges to voter access in runoff and municipal elections occurring in Illinois on April 4, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee continues to work with community partners, national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP to address these challenges. We are grateful to these partners and the many Election Protection volunteers who aided voters and improved access on Tuesday.

Read more about Chicago Lawyers’ Committee’s Election Day work in Block Club Chicago and Chicago Tribune.