February 2022
On February 14, 1920, at Chicago’s Congress Hotel, the League of Women Voters was born. And every year, on Valentine’s Day, I am reminded of the fight for what we carry nearest our hearts.
This year, the League’s anniversary is incredibly poignant, coming as it does, on the heels of January 19 - the day when 52 members of the US Senate refused to use their power to protect the freedom to vote.
January 19. A day of historical significance. Nineteen. A number of historical significance. The vote this January 19 was not enough. The 19th Amendment was not enough. Not enough for women of color, certainly.
Faced with not enough, we continued. We pressed on until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. Faced with not enough, we will continue to press on for free, fair and accessible elections nationwide.
We have a primary election in Illinois on June 28th this year. Our general election is November 8th. Together, we can make this a midterm election with the greatest turnout ever. Because our usual 15% is not enough. We need more than enough - our democracy works best when everyone votes, when all the voices speak up.
Start on Valentine’s Day - the day the League of Women Voters was founded. Make a commitment to persevere, to fight for enough. What does that look like? Find what works for you. Start with this: make sure everyone you know understands the importance of their vote - in every election.
Make sure every voice speaks up,
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President
League of Women Voters of Illinois
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Illinois Primary Election: June 28th
Make Your Plan to Vote
Go to the Illinois Voter Guide to get started. The first step in your plan is to make sure you are registered. The second is to know where and when to vote. Then spread the word, using the image and print files on the LWVIL website.
Empower Your Networks
You will find all the nonpartisan candidate information you need for races statewide in the Illinois Voter Guide when election day draws near. Use the Illinois Voter Guide to help increase voter turnout by informing and empowering your personal networks.
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New Legislative Districts: Has Yours Changed?
In the 2020 census, even though Illinois’ population only dropped a tiny percentage, other states grew significantly. As a result, Illinois lost one congressional seat in reapportionment and now has 17 seats.
The number of Representatives in the US House was capped at 435 in 1929, apportioned between the 50 states. This means that after every census, as state populations change, their number of apportioned congressional representatives does as well.
In 2021, the Democratically-controlled Illinois General Assembly approved and the Democratic Governor signed into law the newly drawn federal and state legislative maps, reflecting the 2020 census changes in population. Many voters now find themselves in new US congressional districts and new state house and senate districts. Confirm your districts by viewing these maps:
Learn about the candidates running in your districts by going to IllinoisVoterGuide.org in June and be ready to vote in the June 28 Primary Election.
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Mis and Disinformation During Election Season
Misinformation: incorrect or misleading information
Disinformation: false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth
Election season is often marked by both mis and disinformation, and both types move quickly across all media. Knowing how to combat false information effectively is an important skill.
The most common rule of thumb is not to repeat bad information. When you re-state a falsehood, you run the risk of reinforcing it in a listener’s mind. Instead, use facts and truth to inoculate listeners against bad information.
However, if you must respond to a false piece of information, Berkeley linguist George Lakoff’s “truth sandwich” is an easy strategy to remember. His strategy is based on the fact that people often remember the first thing they hear. The idea is to state a truth first, then weakly refer to the falsehood, and then close by stating another truth. Sandwich the falsehood between two powerful truths.
Learn more about combating election misinformation on Saturday morning, March 5, during an opening session of LWVIL's Issues Briefing.
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Information you need to make yourself heard!
Saturday March 5, 9:00 am to noon
March 7-10, daily sessions at noon and 5:30
Learn how you can advocate for issues you care about! Check out the lineup for LWVIL’s annual Issues Briefing. With Zoom sessions on current issues and legislation being considered in the Illinois General Assembly, there is something for everyone.
Three sessions on Saturday morning explore effective advocacy, combating election misinformation, and disruption at public events. Throughout the week, sessions at noon and 5:30 pm provide opportunities to learn about topics as diverse as culturally relevant instruction, immigration, criminal justice, the electoral college, the storage of nuclear waste, and ranked choice voting.
In keeping with LWVIL’s mission to provide equitable public access to information, the entire week of programming is on Zoom and only $25, and scholarships are available. Register today—get briefed for 2022!
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Housing Access in Illinois: What Will it Take?
Thursday, March 3, 7-8:30 pm.
Micaela Alvarez, Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Bishop Tavis Grant, National Field Director, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Nancy Heil, Collaborative on Child Homelessness-Illinois
Jane Ramsey, Founder, Just Ventures, University of Chicago
Mike Rohrbeck, Executive Director, Voice of the People
Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam
LWVIL joins co-sponsors from around the state to present this virtual town hall. Panelists will explore the challenges faced by those looking for access to affordable housing: confronting racial discrimination, building housing permanence, and the impact of homelessness. Learn how you can help advocate for new laws that strengthen and enforce tenants' rights and civil rights. Register today.
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100 Year Battle for ERA: Update
Think about it: the two people next in line to the President of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, do not have equal legal protection under the US Constitution.
LWVIL is among those working to make sure that 2022 is the year that situation changes—with the certification of the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with attorneys general from Nevada and Virginia, filed a brief on Jan 3, 2022 with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The brief appeals the decision of a lower court judge last March to dismiss their lawsuit to compel certification of the ERA.
On January 10, LWVIL joined more than 20 organizations from Illinois, Nevada and Virginia in a supporting amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in support of the case. Eleven other supporting briefs were filed the same day, representing more than one hundred corporations, constitutional scholars, and coalitions.
To review briefly, the Equal Rights Amendment was first drafted in 1923 by suffragist Alice Paul. In 1972, the language used today was sent to the states for ratification, after being approved by overwhelming majorities in both the US House (354-24) and Senate (84-8). In order to be added to the constitution, the amendment needed to meet a 3/4 state ratification threshold.
Illinois ratified the ERA in 2018, shortly after Nevada in 2017. In 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify, thereby meeting the 3/4 state threshold. However, in light of questions about the amount of time lapsed between the original proposal and final state ratification, the Archivist of the US refused to record and certify Virginia’s ratification and publish the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution. Shortly thereafter, Illinois, Nevada and Virginia filed suit to compel the US Archivist to certify and publish the ERA.
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