Protecting the Vote - 2025 Illinois Municipal Elections
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee community partner CASA Blue Island protecting voters’ rights in April 2025 municipal election
Municipal elections are an important opportunity for voters to make their voices heard and to elect their local leaders. Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights provided support for nonpartisan community partners for the Illinois February and April municipal elections through our nonpartisan Election Protection program by working alongside national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and addressing calls from voters to the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.
In the February municipal election, we supported our nonpartisan community partner Cicero Independiente in their efforts to address voter intimidation, language access, improper requests for identification, and other barriers that voters faced during heated elections in Cicero and Berwyn. We were also able to provide support during an unfortunate situation involving police intimidation at the polls, which we worked to resolve with Cicero Independiente to ensure voters felt safe to cast their ballots.
For the April municipal election, we partnered again with Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, along with CASA Blue Island. Our team addressed instances of voter intimidation, improper requests for identification, and rights of unhoused voters, both in suburban Cook County and other parts of the state.
Our team also returned to Cook County Jail to protect the voting rights of our community members detained at the jail. Our presence made a positive impact and helped ensure eligible voters could exercise their right to vote and access same day voter registration, which can be a barrier for people held in pretrial detention.
By working alongside our dedicated community partners and advocating for voter access, we are making sure that all eligible voters can safely and successfully participate in our democracy.
We are grateful to our community partners who joined us in these efforts!