On Monday, November 7, our League, along with a representative from FairVote Illinois and VOICE, made a short presentation on Ranked Choice Voting to the Oak Park Village Board. Information and slides about how RCV would work in an Oak Park President, Clerk, and Trustee election were shared. Board members asked questions afterward. Though many Board members voiced support for a binding referendum that could be put on the April 2023 ballot, some Board members wanted more information. We will be following up with that information as soon as the Board requests it. Our League will be planning some community presentations in the next few months to ensure all citizens have the information they need to make an informed decision if the Board decides to put this referendum question on the April 2023 ballot. By the way, Evanston's Ranked Choice Voting binding referendum question was passed with 82% approval on November 8.

If you are interested in helping to set up future presentations to educate the public on RCV, we will have our first committee meeting this Thursday, November 17, at 10:30am at Fairgrounds Coffee, 702 Lake Street, Oak Park. Please RSVP Peggy Kell if you will attend. Future meetings will also be scheduled for the evening.

The Cook County Forest Preserve Tax Referendum passed on November 8. The county’s forest preserves are one of the largest in the U.S., with nearly 70,000 acres of natural areas where people can hike, fish, bike, camp and even zipline. The Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Botanic Garden sit on forest preserve land. Congratulations to all the League members and numerous other organizations that championed this effort!

There will not be a Second Tuesday in November nor per usual in December, but it will resume in 2023 with new chairwomen Monie Burns and Joanne Susmilch. Welcome to your new roles, ladies!

On October 26, Leagues from 50 states and DC stood together to file an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case that could define our democracy for years to come. The case, Moore v. Harper, concerns the so-called “independent state legislature theory” (ISLT), which, if adopted, would have far-reaching implications for the future of American democracy. The League is represented by the Fair Elections Center and O’Melveny & Myers LLP. LWV has serious concerns about this case because a ruling adopting ISLT would give state legislatures nearly unrestricted authority to set the rules for federal elections, prioritizing the ambitions of politicians over the American voter. Furthermore, if the Supreme Court condones this theory, it will undermine the role of state courts to protect voters when politicians create unconstitutional barriers to voting, draw unlawful voting maps, and invalidate direct democracy efforts like ballot initiatives. 

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