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The Board of the Cook County League of Women Voters wishes all of our members Happy Holidays. We salute you for all your work this year and look forward to a great election year in 2026.
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Newsletter Highlights
League Joins Fair Maps Coalition
Request Your Mail In Ballot for the March Primary
Property Tax Bill - Where Your Money is Going
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Illinois Deserves Fair Maps
Join the Petition Drive--Go to LWVIL Fair Maps Illinois for petitions and details.
The League of Women Voters of Illinois is endorsing the latest effort by Fair Maps Illinois to amend the state Constitution and move Illinois a step closer to having legislative districts that reflect our voting population. The amendment will apply to State Senate and Representative Districts, not Federal Congressional Districts.
We’re embarking on a campaign to gather petitions to get redistricting reforms on the ballot ahead of decennial redistricting in 2030. In order to get on the ballot in Illinois, we must get at least 350,000 signatures. Our goal is 600,000 statewide.
The 2026 Redistricting Amendment would amend Article IV of the Illinois Constitution to change the procedure by which the General Assembly will draw Legislative District maps following the decennial census in 2030 by constituting a Legislative Redistricting Commission that will draw Legislative and Representative District maps using rational, neutral criteria.
What will be different:
- The redistricting commission will be made up 4 legislators and 8 non legislators.
- Districts will be drawn to follow county, municipal and township boundaries as much as possible
- Bans the use of political party affiliation or voting history when drawing districts.
| | | March 17 2026 Primary Election Information | |
Vote by Mail Ballot Request Starts December 17
Registered voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot, if not already on the permanent vote-by-mail list.
Suburban Voters: Request Here
Chicago Voters: Request Here
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This year all the Leagues in Illinois are utilizing the long-time national League online voter guide, VOTE411.org, to serve our core mission of helping people to register to vote and to be informed voters.
- VOTE411 has the information on how to register to vote, where to vote, the candidates, and the candidates' positions.
- The Cook County League is taking responsibility to provide the information for the candidates for offices up for election to the governments of Cook County and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), along with entering all the judges who will be on the ballot.
- The goal is to publish by February 5, the first date of early voting.
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Candidate Filing for County and MWRD Offices
View the current candidate list HERE, that reflects the outcomes to the challenges to the candidates filings.
Continuously updated list is available on the County Clerk's Web Site
January 14, 2026 is the deadline for the Cook County Clerk to certify the candidates who will be on the March 17 ballot.
See the LWVCC Voter Information Page for additional election news
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Property Taxes - Interesting things to know while you write the check
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Did you know that Cook County government has not raised its base tax levy for almost 30 years? That is not the case for all the other taxing bodies.
If you want to do a deeper dive into how much and why property tax bills have gone up over the years, check out the Cook County Treasurer’s 2024 Tax Bill Analysis.
Interesting Tax Facts
- 50% and likely more of your bill is for the elementary schools, the high schools, and the community colleges
- The next highest amount is likely going to your municipality
- There are 3 amounts that go to Cook County governments, County of Cook, County of Cook Health & Hospital Comm., and County of Cook Public Safety
- There are also amounts that go to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- The remainder of your bill is likely for other taxing districts such as your local library, park district, mosquito abatement district, etc.
- The total property tax bills have gone up by $872 million, for a grand total of $19.2 Billion for all the local government entities. This increase over last year’s bills is 4.8%, well above the 3.5% rate of inflation for 2024.This is at least the 31st straight year total property taxes have gone up.
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LWVCC members observe and report on board and committee meetings of Cook County government entities to keep you informed.
To read more: LWVCC Observer Reports
| | | | Recent Observer Reports Highlights | | |
Cook County Approves $10.12 B Budget for 2026
- On Nov. 20, the Cook County Board approved the budget for fiscal year 2026 that began on December 1.
- The budget increased by $105 M over the one initially proposed by the Cook County President, and includes an additional $19.9 M from the City of Chicago’s proposed declaration of a Tax Increment Financing surplus. This money is to be spent to provide court-based rental assistance and food access under the Chief Judge. However, the expenditures are conditioned on the County actually receiving this money because Chicago has not yet finalized its budget.
- Several amendments added additional positions to the State’s Attorney’s Office for victim specialists for domestic violence, for an in-house forensics unit, and for technical support help.
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For more information, see the Observer Report for the November 20 Board and Finance Committee meetings posted November 24.
| | LWVCC Interest Groups keep members informed about important activities of our local government. | |
Upcoming Meetings
All Local League members are invited to participate in these interest group meetings
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Budget & Structure Monday Jan 26, 10 am via Zoom
Criminal Justice Thursday, Jan. 29, 9 am via Zoom
Contact Jan Goldberg
Forest Preserve Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 8:30 am via Zoom
Contact Lauramdavis90@gmail.com
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Budget and Structure Interest Group
We Learn, We Report, We Make a Difference
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Cook County Approves Creation of a Chicago-Cook County Violence Against Women Task Force.
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Domestic violence incidents in Cook County have had a huge surge in the past several years. A Task Force, composed of officials and employees from both Chicago and Cook County, has been charged with providing recommendations by July 1, 2026, to address issues and concerns that have been identified within the Domestic Division of the Courts.
- The Chicago City Council previously approved the City’s participation.
- Besides representatives from the County’s criminal justice officials, Commissioners Donna Miller (6th Dist.), Alma Anaya (7th Dist.), Bridget Degnen (12th Dist.), and Bridget Gainer (10th Dist.) were appointed to the Task Force from the County’s side.
- Comm. Miller was the lead sponsor of the legislation establishing the Task Force. She said that the Task Force is an outgrowth of the Criminal Justice Committee's hearing last July during which many problems with the current governmental systems (including the courts) were identified.
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The first meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for January 7 at 10 am. For more information about the meeting see the Cook County Legistar Calendar for January 7, 2026.
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For more information, see the Observer Report for the November 18 & 19 Cook County Committee meetings posted November 24.
| | Criminal Justice Interest Group | | |
Jan Goldberg had a letter to the Tribune editor published December 2:
" Thank you for the editorial “Blue Line horror brings day of reckoning for SAFE-T Act and hapless electronic monitoring in Cook County” (Nov. 25). It is understandable blaming a new law for a horrific crime. But Lawrence Reed’s encounters with the criminal justice system go back 30 years, according to the Tribune’s own reporting on the case. And that is well before the SAFE-T Act was even considered, let alone enacted. We have systems in place that score the flight risk and the danger to society of each defendant. We do not know what transpired in the courtroom during that fateful hearing...
Blaming reform for the human errors within the system is not right. The editorial makes it seem as if criminal justice reform is the cause of crime in Cook County. Numbers would tell another story. Crime is down in most categories.
What was left out of this editorial is a symptom of what is left out of most criminal justice issues: getting help for those with mental illness. We have failed as a society on this issue. The SAFE-T Act addresses it, but it takes the stakeholders to enact it."
- The group is working on setting up meetings with the new First Assistant State's Attorney, Craig Engebretson, and new Chief Judge Charles Beach.
- The recently passed FAIR ACT board will be chosen this summer. The act established a statewide Public Defender Office.
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Our next regular meeting will be Thursday, Jan 29, 2025 9 am via zoom.
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To participate in this meeting, please contact Jan Goldberg
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Forest Preserve Interest Group
Nature is our Business
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- Deer Grove West (the oldest forest preserve in the country) and Deer Grove East in Palatine are divided by Quentin Road. Homes built along the east side of the road want the road to be widened. The conversations have gone on for years and a decision was recently made by the Cook County Transportation Department to widen the road to 3 lanes and add in a bike/walk path. There was a push by homeowners to create a 4 or 5 lane road. The 3 lane decision minimizes the negative impact on the forest preserves and the people and critters that cross the road, and allows easier egress for the homeowners which is particularly difficult during morning and evening rush hours.
- Cook County Commissioners unanimously approved the Cook County Forest Preserve 2026 budget in November. The 2026 budget is $194.1 million dollars, which includes $31.3 million dollars to fund Brookfield Zoo Chicago and the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Additionally, $51,000 will be allocated for expanding the Underground Railroad project at several Cook County Forest Preserve sites.
- A zoom presentation on the 40 year restoration of Somme Woods in Northbrook is being planned for February 12. 2026. More details will follow.
- Orland grasslands restoration is ongoing with the help of Eagle Scouts. They have been active in planning, seed gathering and distribution of seeds, even on the snow.
- The LWVIL Issues Briefing is planned for April 11, 2026. A presentation on Data Centers is being planned. More details will follow.
Next team meeting is Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - 8:30am on zoom. If interested, contact Laura Davis Lauramdavis90@gmail.com
| | Local League Upcoming Events | | |
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, 6:45 pm In person
LWV Oak Park River Forest
Town Hall: The Responsibility in Firearm Legislation Act
Co-Sponsors LWV OPRF and Gun Responsibility Advocates
Oak Park Main Public Library Veterans Room
834 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL
Free and open to the public
Tuesday, January 27, 7-8:00pm In person and on Zoom
LWV of the Palatine, Barrington, and Schauburg Areas
Illinois Politics and the 2026 Midterm Elections.
Speaker: Paul Lisnek, J.D., Ph.D.
Schaumburg Central Library,
130 S. Roselle Road
Schaumburg, IL 60193
Registration is required. Register HERE
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2025-2026 Cook County League Board Members
OFFICERS: President: Diane Edmundson, Chicago; Vice-President, Kathi Graffam, LaGrange Area; Vice-President, Susan Gregory, Glenview-Glencoe; Secretary: Carolyn Cosentino, Homewood/Flossmoor; Treasurer: Trudy Turner, Evanston.
Board members: Victoria Cerinich, Palos-Orland Park Area; Laura Davis, Palatine, Barrington & Schaumburg Areas; Jan Goldberg, LaGrange Area ; Betty Hayford, Evanston; Pris Mims, Chicago; Sandra Slayton, Homewood-Flossmoor
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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, political organization whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government; to increase understanding of major policy issues, and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to anyone regardless of gender, race, or ethnic group.
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League of Women Voters of Cook County
332 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 634, Chicago, IL 60604
312-939-5935
lwvcookcounty.org
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