Dedicated lifelong learners dodged the raindrops to enjoy a presentation by Sheilah O’Grady, Executive Director of the Citizen Advocacy Center. The evening began with fun suffragette trivia and a brief tribute to the courageous women who fought fiercely to secure the right to vote. Sheilah explored the history of the Voting Rights Act, recent changes to voting laws, and what they mean for voters today. Michelle Fitz-Henry highlighted mail-in voting and the League of

Women Voters’ role in a recent legal victory protecting ballot access. Bev Tuck shared ways we can make a difference in the final two weeks before the election.

We wrapped up with lively conversation, shared ideas, and a renewed sense of connection. It was a wonderful blend of learning, laughter, and camaraderie; the very spirit that makes Drinks & Dialogue such a welcoming community. Thank you to all our participants!

LWV OPRF Poll Watchers will be getting their credentials from Peggy Kell this week. We will be covering precincts in Cicero and Berwyn. We will share these assignments with LWV LaGrange. If you have questions on what you should do on election day, please watch/rewatch the League video on Poll Watching responsibilities and view the slide deck of presentation information. Poll Watchers can only note and report what they observe. If you have any questions, please contact Peggy Kell.

The following letter from Diane Edmundson, LWV Cook County President, was published in the Sun-Times on October 16.

As the country’s leading nonpartisan steward of the right to vote, the League of Women Voters emphasizes the importance of being informed and of voting during the all-important midterm elections November 3. Voting by mail is a popular way to do both. In the March primary, 25% of Chicago voters used this method.

Some of the advantages of voting by mail include:

◆ It’s convenient. You pick the time that is best for you.

◆ No waiting in lines. You don’t even have to get dressed!

◆ It’s easy.

You can review the candidates and referenda on your ballot, using your computer, tablet, or cellphone, and then mark your ballot. Among the multiple online voter guides is the league’s nonpartisan guide, VOTE411.org.

Voters can breathe easier now that the Supreme Court blocked proposed U.S. Postal Service rules from taking effect which could have impacted the delivery of vote-by-mail ballots. Voters who requested them should expect no delays.

If you choose to vote by mail, you must use the return envelope that came with your ballot and return the ballot via mail or at the drop box provided by the election authority at designated locations through 7:00pm on November 3.

If you are mailing the ballot within 10 days of November 3, election authorities advise you to go to a post office window and have the postmark affixed there. Otherwise, it can take several days after mailing for the ballot to be delivered to the postal processing center where the postmark is affixed.

For more information, including how to request a vote-by-mail ballot, check with your election authority.

Save the Date for the next Coffee and Conversation on November 12 at 9:30am at the Nineteenth Century Organization. The Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) new law and end of life planning will be discussed by Julie Lindblad Iverson, a Geriatric Care Manager and End-of-Life Doula, and  Tiffany Noelle Johnson an End-of-Life Doula, advocate, and the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Wally’s Hearth.

BALTIMORE — On October 15, 2026, the District Court of Maryland entered an order to permanently block a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rule that prevented nonpartisan civic engagement groups from registering new US citizens to vote at administrative naturalization ceremonies.

The rule — which was issued without factual basis abruptly in August 2025 — has been permanently blocked after a lawsuit filed by the Campaign Legal Center on behalf of the League of Women Voters (LWV) and a number of state and local Leagues.

“Participation in our democracy is one of the most meaningful aspects of American citizenship,” said Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters. “Today's ruling reaffirms the right of every American to help shape our democracy and ensures that the League can continue the nonpartisan voter education work we've done for generations as we welcome newly naturalized citizens into our ranks. This victory protects a longstanding tradition of civic engagement and will strengthen our democracy for decades to come.”

“Today’s order protects the longstanding practice of nonpartisan civic engagement groups welcoming new Americans into our democracy,” said Anna Baldwin, voting rights director of litigation at the Campaign Legal Center. “USCIS’s rule was a direct attack on the constitutionally guaranteed right for these groups to participate in our political process, including the League’s First Amendment right to provide voter registration services. We will continue working alongside the League of Women Voters to ensure League members can continue to register voters at administrative naturalization ceremonies across the country.”

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots, membership-based civic engagement group that has long exercised its constitutionally protected right to educate and assist new Americans in registering to vote at administrative naturalization ceremonies. Over the past few decades, the League has registered hundreds of thousands of new US citizens to vote after naturalization ceremonies nationwide. No organization has done more voter registration at naturalization ceremonies than the League of Women Voters. Indeed, in 2024, the League registered more than 15% of all new American citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies.

With this court victory, the League can continue its important work with new citizens at administrative naturalization ceremonies.

Save the Date:

Will you be ready to kick back and take stock of the election? Our chapter is hosting a fundraiser at the Comedy Plex Club in Oak Park featuring Chicago comedian and radio host Patti Vasquez. She will present "Election Decompression: Let's Laugh it Off." The program is set for Sunday, November 8 at 4:00pm. Tickets are $40, and you can purchase them here online. The club is at 1128 Lake St. in the lower level.

Cook County State's Attorney Burke started a new Deferred Prosecution program for defendants accused of low-level misdemeanor crimes such as shoplifting and drug offenses. In addition to mental health services and addiction services, she hopes to send more defendants to Restorative Justice Court.

For more Democracy Wins from Beverly Tuck go here.

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