As primary elections took place in Illinois on Tuesday, our 866-OUR-VOTE hotline legal volunteers answered calls all day from people who needed help voting.
From polling place closures to incorrect ballots to language barriers to threatened police involvement, eligible voters had to overcome egregious hurdles at many locations, particularly in the City of Chicago. Across the state, voters experienced intimidating and improper requests for ID and other barriers to access. Our pro bono volunteers were crucial to advocating on behalf of voters to ensure their right to vote remained intact.
Sign helping voters facing barriers in southern suburbs.
One voter who called our hotline faced locked doors when arriving at his Chicago polling place before the 7:00p closing time. Despite being threatened with police action, he insisted that he and others who arrived before 7:00p should be able to vote. The voter stated, “I acted to ensure that people in our community, regardless of their background, have the right to vote.”
In addition to the 73 Chicago polling places that were announced to be closed for this election, over 50 additional locations that had been scheduled to be open at 6am didn’t allow voters to cast ballots until later in the morning – some even extending into the afternoon. Voters who showed up faced confusing instructions and misinformation, with some of them being guided to cast incorrect ballots. These problems unfolded in multiple neighborhoods with significant populations of voters of color and citizens with limited English proficiency.
Many government authorities are currently considering shrinking the number of precinct-based polling places or making other drastic changes to voters’ access to the polls. In line with testimony we provided this past spring, before government leaders consider any of those significant changes, we insist that they consider racial equity concerns, add specific safeguards to avoid disenfranchisement, and engage in a robust community engagement process with voters. Yesterday’s election confirmed that further community input is needed on any polling place changes that will impact voter access.
When voters, election authorities, and advocates work together to communicate and resolve issues, there can be encouraging opportunities for progress. When community members called our 866-OUR-VOTE hotline to report a Melrose Park polling place that opened late, we successfully advocated to the Cook County Clerk’s office to extend the hours for that location.
Program Counsel Cliff Helm with Pamela Fort of SUAV
We also led a number of know-your-rights efforts during early voting this year in partnership with Chicago Votes, including protecting the rights of South and West side high school students, during voter eligibility canvassing in Chicago’s 20th Ward, and during voter protection and civic education for voters in Cook County Jail. We were proud to advocate for voters in pretrial detention for the historic launch of a polling place inside Will County detention facility.
“Chicago Lawyers’ Committee’s voting rights team has been an incredible ally with Speak Up & Vote (SUAV). The support, engagement, and outreach that the group provided SUAV during our first In-Person Voting was nothing less than remarkable. The support your group provided was the wind beneath our wings,” said Pamela Fort, Program Coordinator of the community-based organization SUAV.
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee is indebted to the 100+ pro bono volunteers who volunteered this election, our community partners, the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and the national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for their partnership. During this time of grave threats to our democracy, we thank you all for your support and your dedication to voting rights.