May 2024

This month marks 50 years of men as full and equal members of the League of Women Voters. Yes, men marched beside women in the fight for women’s suffrage, and many even worked to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, but, until May 1974, men were only allowed to be affiliate members of League, and in some cases they were even charged higher dues for this privilege!

The League’s mission of empowering voters and defending democracy needs all the help we can get—so encourage all your friends, regardless of gender, to join the League today and join us in our mission.

Becky Simon, president

bsimon@lwvil.org

Catch Upcoming League Events

Did you miss these events last month?

The Importance of Wetlands: Environment & Public Health

Wetlands are one of Illinois' greatest natural assets—we must take action to protect them! Watch our webinar to learn about how you can support the Wetlands Protection Act.

Protecting Democracy in the Age of Social Media and AI

How can we protect democracy from the spread of misinformation and disinformation? We were joined by Diane Chang to discuss the effect of social media and AI on elections. Watch the recording.

Lobby Day in Springfield

On May 1, dozens of our members traveled to Springfield from all across the state to talk with their legislators and advocate in support of bills that promote economic and educational equity and protection of the environment. 

Instituting a state Child Tax Credit, ensuring the state meets its commitment to fully fund Evidence Based Funding for K-12 schools, and securing protections for our state’s wetlands were among the League’s 2024 legislative objectives.

LWVIL in Action

We've been busy during this legislative session! Here are some of the bills we spoke out on in March and April:

• The Lobbyist Registration Act (HB4591): Strengthens enforcement and requires more transparency and disclosure for the financial dealings of lobbyists
• Karina’s Bill (HB4469): Protects victims of domestic abuse by removing guns from abusers once an order of protection is ordered
• Safety Moratorium on Carbon Dioxide Pipelines Act (HB4835): Creates a moratorium on implementing new CO2 pipelines
• Illinois Guaranteed Income Law (SB3462): Requires the Department of Human Services to establish and administer a “Guaranteed Income for Illinois Program” that provides a monthly cash benefit of $1,000 to Illinois residents
• Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Professional Support Grant Program Act (HB4665): Creates funding to support community behavioral health providers to hire and retain professional staff
• The Community Safety through Stable Homes Act (HB5432/SB3680): Protects civil rights, demands due process and prevents homelessness by prohibiting local governments and public housing authorities from nuisance law evictions

Check out the full list of bills we endorsed.

Election News

Primary Election Voter Turnout Lowest in Over 50 Years

March’s Illinois presidential primary election saw the lowest primary turnout in at least 50 years, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Overall state turnout was 19.07%. The low number may be, in part, because both the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates had already clinched their parties’ nominations. 

The highest turnout was recorded in Chicago, which featured a close primary race for Cook County State’s Attorney, with 25.88% of registered voters casting ballots.

Illinois Primary Election Turnout, last 50 years:

LWVIL is Preparing for the 2024 General Election

LWVIL’s Voter Service mission is to educate voters and ensure that every eligible Illinoisan is able to register and cast their ballot. With the help of our local Leagues, LWVIL works to make this happen.

The nonpartisan Illinois Voter Guide is a one-stop tool for all voter needs. During each election period, IVG lists detailed candidate information, including our own LWV question and answer sections and candidate forum videos (where available). Between elections, voters can still use IVG to register to vote, confirm their registration status, and change their address. They can apply for a vote by mail ballot and learn how to become an election judge. Please take advantage of this resource and let your communities know it’s available to them all year round!

Become An Election Judge for the November Election

Election judges (aka poll workers) are the backbone of our electoral process. We can’t hold an election without them. Election judges arrive early to set up voting equipment, open and close the polls, issue the correct ballots to each voter and help voters with questions. Election judges are required to declare their party preference so there is a fair distribution of election judges from each party.

Early voting officials serve similar duties as election judges, but for the full duration of early voting.

Both election judges and early voting officials are needed for the November election. If you meet the eligibility requirements of being a U.S. citizen and a registered voter in your district, please consider serving. You will be trained and paid. Visit your local election authority—typically, your county clerk—for more information on signing up.

Report Online Disinformation

To address the troubling rise of misinformation and disinformation—and its impact on our elections—we formed our Mis/Disinformation Task Force in January 2024 with the goal of educating the general public on mis/disinformation. Check out web resources and register for upcoming webinars at lwvil.org/misdis-info.

Have you seen disinformation online? If so, report it to us. You can also report most social media posts to the platforms themselves. Questions, or want to contribute to our efforts? Email misdisinfotaskforce@lwvil.org.

Support Our Get Out the Vote Efforts in 2024

The goal of LWVIL's Campaign to Safeguard Democracy is to raise $75,000 for our statewide online voter guide, candidate forums, and efforts to fight misinformation and disinformation.

We're 56% of the way there! Thank you to our growing list of generous donors who have given over $42,000 so far.