August 2021
Congress is on summer recess. This is a national time to review, reset and refocus.
We need it. Our days are easily filled with a never ending barrage of information, so many issues which are deeply concerning, so many events which are unprecedented.
- Laws enacted to limit, constrain, suppress a voter’s ability to cast their vote.
- Fires on the west coast, so massive they can be seen from outer space, are causing significant air quality problems and health concerns all the way to the east coast.
- Shootings are on the increase, with 2021 quickly surpassing 2020 as the most deadly year for gun violence in decades.
- The delta variant, vaccination, and mask refusals threaten our tenuous recovery from the pandemic.
How can we possibly address, change, fix, improve, save, protect it all?
My long-time, family friend Peter M, reminded me of the answer. He was instructing his two grandchildren as they dipped their fishing poles into the pond for their first ever fishing trip -- “remember the number one rule of fishing is: you have to have your line in the water to catch a fish”
Oh, right. We simply have to start.
We have to make our opinion known.
We have to show up in some way or … nothing will happen.
So take a recess. Review, reset, refocus.
Pick one, or maybe two, things that you are most interested in, or most upset about, and make your start. Call your state representative, send an email to your US senator, fill in a friend. Make your opinion known. All around you, people are doing the same thing, choosing one focus and engaging however much they can.
It really is that simple.
Choose your pond and throw in your line. I’m pretty sure others will be fishing in the same pond, and still others in the pond down the way. With all of our lines in the water, the fish don’t stand a chance.
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President
League of Women Voters of Illinois
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For the People Act
"The For the People Act is the most expansive democracy reform agenda we have seen since the Voting Rights Act was passed over 50 years ago...We look forward to seeing the For the People Act cross the finish line and signed into law by the new administration." Virginia Kase Solomon, CEO League of Women Voters of the United States, January 2021
These words, spoken when the For the People Act (FTPA) was introduced into the House of Representatives, remain true today. The bill was not passed this summer by the Senate, and will be taken up again in September.
National voting and election laws serve to protect every vote—every voice—in the US. The FTPA would reverse or protect against many of the 30 voter suppression laws that were put in place this year in 18 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming.
At least 400 voter suppression laws were introduced in 49 states this year, a substantial increase over past years. Here in Illinois, six such laws were introduced this spring, although none made it out of committee.
What's next?
Having passed in the House of Representatives, the FTPA did not garner the votes needed to be brought to debate in the Senate, with the vote falling 50/50 along party lines, Democrats for, Republicans against. However, not all Senate Democrats have expressed support for the act. A pared down compromise bill will be introduced when the Senate returns in September.
Republican Senators opposed to the bill have signaled their intent to filibuster the proceedings. It takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, which means that a minority of 41 Senators can stop the progress of any legislation they oppose. The League has consistently advocated for filibuster reform since 2011. Filibuster reform can be passed by a simple majority of the Senate.
Take Action!
The next weeks will be crucial for our democracy.
If you haven’t had time yet, contact Senators Durbin and Duckworth. Thank them for their support. Tell them you expect them to push hard for the passage of the FTPA, and urge them to support filibuster reform if that’s what it takes. This is important—they need to know that thousands of people support this effort.
Reach out to friends, family, all of your networks—make sure everyone knows that our democracy is at stake. Ask people in every state to contact their senators and ask them to push hard to protect our freedom to vote. Use social media. Follow LWVIL and share on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Find additional information you can use to advocate for this bill on the LWVIL website. Our national voting rights must be protected. |
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Save the Date
The League of Women Voters of the United States is one of a broad network of partners who are marking the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic August 28th March on Washington with a nationwide call to protect our democracy.
March On For Voting Rights will take place in Washington DC and a number of key cities. Together, Americans will call on their government to protect free, fair and accessible elections with federal voting rights protection: the For the People Act, John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and Statehood for Washington, DC.
LWVIL is working with other Illinois organizers to provide opportunities for virtual participation from 10 am to noon on August 28. Updates will be posted on LWVIL’s website and social media accounts. Plan to participate—every voice is needed. We must make ourselves heard. Democracy depends on the freedom to vote. |
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US Census Data Released
Illinois loses one Representative
Official US Census numbers were released this week, four months later than originally scheduled due to delays related to the Covid pandemic.
The once-a-decade Census begins the once-a-decade process of reapportionment and redrawing of Congressional district maps. These maps determine neighborhoods and their representation; who people will have an opportunity to vote for, what issues will be addressed in their district, and what state and federal dollars and services will funnel into their area.
The Census also determines the number of Representatives each state can send to Congress. There are 435 seats in the House, and that number has not changed since 1929. However, the apportioned seats for each state change depending on the state’s population.
Illinois lost one congressional seat this decade, and will be sending 17 representatives to the House for the next ten years. The state has had as many as 26 congressional districts and began losing apportionment with the 1950 census. Ten decades of apportionment and population data for every state can be explored with the US Census Bureau's interactive map, pictured below.
In order to accommodate the delayed census reports and resulting delays in Congressional redistricting, Illinois primary elections were delayed until June 28, 2022.
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What is “gerrymandering?”
As redistricting gets underway, the word “gerrymander” is bound to come up. Gerrymandering is the drawing of maps by one political party to ensure that voters are divided or combined so that it is more likely for that party to win future elections.
Gerrymandering is voter suppression. The League strongly encourages citizen involvement in map drawing and advocates for legislation to ensure fair maps are drawn by a bipartisan commission. Equitable representation is the foundation of our democracy.
State legislative redistricting
District maps for state legislative offices were required by the state Constitution to be completed by June 30, 2021. The Illinois General Assembly drew maps for the Illinois state legislature using population estimates from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, rather than the actual numbers released by the Census Bureau this week. The state district maps were signed into law by Governor Pritzker on June 4, 2021.
LWVIL recommends the review and update of state legislative maps using the accurate population numbers just released by the US Census Bureau.
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“Every family, every child, every human being deserves to feel safe and secure in the place they call home. I am committed to making sure that value defines what it means to live in Illinois.” Governor Pritzker
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Immigrants Protected by New Illinois Law
On August 2, Governor Pritzker signed an immigration law that makes Illinois one of the most welcoming states in the country.
The Illinois Way Forward Act (SB 667) strengthens protections by ending immigration detention and limiting local cooperation with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), the bill “will draw a bright line between law enforcement and civil immigration enforcement.”
The new law mandates that all immigrant detention centers in Illinois close by 2022 and that local jails can no longer detain immigrants arrested by ICE. Illinois is one of only three states in the nation to pass such protections.
In addition, the Illinois Way Forward Act will:
- Make clear what action law enforcement can and cannot take with warrants.
- Prohibit state and local governments from signing into contracts with ICE.
- Prohibit officials from inquiring about the immigration status of an individual in custody unless that individual is presented with a federal criminal warrant.
LWVIL is a proud ally of ICIRR and worked to help pass this significant piece of legislation.
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Women’s Equality Day, August 26
Congress designated August 26th Women’s Equality Day in 1973. On that day, in 1920, the 19th amendment was added to the US constitution, after a decades long struggle for women’s suffrage. The struggle for voting rights for all women continued until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Today, as women still fight for constitutionally guaranteed equal rights, our national voting rights are being threatened by a raft of state laws designed to suppress votes.
This Women’s Equality Day, as we commemorate the activists who have come before us, we encourage everyone to take an active role in protecting the right of all voters to free, fair and accessible elections.
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Suffragist Honored With Trail Marker
Dedication Thursday, August 26, 1:00 pm, 414 Forest Avenue, Oak Park
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Trout spearheaded the state's campaign for suffrage as the president of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association (IESA) from 1912 to 1920. Once the 19th Amendment was enacted, IESA was succeeded by the League of Women Voters of Illinois. Trout signed LWVIL's incorporation documents.
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LWVIL’s 100th Anniversary committee was instrumental in making sure that the National Votes for Women Trail highlighted Illinois’ role in the passage of the 19th Amendment. Thanks largely to their efforts, four women’s suffrage sites in Illinois are now recognized with trail markers.
Additional Illinois markers recognize Ellen Martin, the Lombard woman who first cast a ballot; Catharine Waugh McCulloch of Evanston, a primary architect of the Illinois effort to pass suffrage; and the Alpha Suffrage Club, established by Ida B. Wells-Barnett as the first African-American suffrage organization.
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