E-NEWS
Bonnie Cox, LWVIL President
FromFrom the President:   
 
Dear LWVIL Members,
 
As always, there are so many to thank for your inspiring LWV work since the last eNews!
 
Heidi Graham and her State of the State event committee are at the top of the list for making this year's event so successful, fun, and engaging.  Inspiring, too!   As we listened to what the women on the bipartisan panel shared about the accomplishments of which they were most proud as elected officials, we heard the specific ways each had worked to make their communities and the institutions in which they worked better. Each one shared how she had been encouraged to run and how vital that encouragement is for women. Sometimes that encouragement resulted from LWV work!  They shared stories of being "tough" when they needed to be to stand up to disrespect, harassment or bullying.
 
Thanks, too, to all of you who promoted the Illinois Voter Guide (IVG) during this election season.   Kudos to the Voter Service and Communications board members who worked so hard in developing this LWVIL-branded voter service tool. We're grateful to LWVUS staff for adding links to the IVG on the Vote411 platform, too. We'll keep you posted on our post-election analytics of how many people used this tool and from what locations in the state.
 
To members across the state who organized, promoted, and volunteered for candidate forums, mock elections, and voter registration/education/engagement events; thank you! Watch for a post-election survey we hope each local LWV's voter service people will complete. We want to quantify our activities as well as evaluate our LWVIL policies and services to see where we might improve.
 
Just a reminder... LWVUS has embarked on a "transformation roadmap." Here's the link to its Executive Summary. As part of this process, the national board adopted the following Mission Statement: Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy and Vision Statement: We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.
 
As your president I'm both proud and grateful for all you do to fulfill this mission and vision.
  
Yours in League, 

Bonnie Cox
 
NewNominating Committee Seeks Candidates for the LWVIL Board of Directors

The LWVIL Nominating Committee has begun its search for candidates for the 2019-21 Board of Directors. Please help identify all of the League members, including yourself, who would make great leaders on the LWVIL Board. Board members gain the opportunity to work with other talented and interesting League members from across the State and to help direct the work and vision of the Illinois League.

Consider the Board Member Responsibilities, then complete the  Nomination Form for each nominee. Send your recommendations to the address listed on the form by November 12. If you have questions, please call the office and you will be connected with Syvia Tillman, Nominating Committee Chair.

Thank you from the LWVIL Nominating Committee for your much needed assistance.
  
AmazonSmile will donate 5% of sales to League of Women Voters of Illinois Education Fund when you shop at   smile.amazon.com/ch/36-3037231   today through Friday, Nov. 2.

Whatever you may need, from the latest bestseller to new tires to oatmeal for breakfast, Amazon probably sells it. Please click through the link above for the League to benefit from this special opportunity. 
IllinoisVoter Service
   
illinoisvoterguide.org
Use our IllinoisVoterGuide.org to determine your voting choices!

 
Important Phone Numbers to have when confronting an election problem
 
If you run into any issues when voting, call the Election Protection Hotline at
866-OUR VOTE. This will be fully staffed on Election Day, but if you are early voting, staffing is much less. Stay on the line or wait for a return call, but do not leave the voting area.
 
Additional resources:
 
888-Ve-Y-Vota (Spanish) -  NALEO Educational Fund
844-Yalla-US (Arabic)       - Arab American Institute
888-API-VOTE                   - Asian and Pacific Islander Vote plus Asian Americans Advancing Justice
312-341-0022                   - Equip for Equality may be able to help concerning disability issues.   
 
Moderator Training
 
Candidate debate/forum Moderator training will be held starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1st, in the 4th floor conference room at 332 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago.  Priority (until Nov. 19th) will be given to Chicago Leaguers or those who will volunteer to help the Chicago League moderate for their upcoming primary elections on Feb. 26, 2019.   A minimum of 10 trainees will be required to hold this training.  To sign up, email salter@lwvil.org  or jdorner@lwvil.org. 
 
Post Election Season Debriefing
 
LWVILEF is considering having a debriefing of this election season as a conference call or two with voter service chairs and/or Presidents. While taking into account that not everyone will be available on a specific day/time, we are planning on holding conference calls on Friday, Nov. 12th  - both at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. Sign up and let us know your preference by emailing jdorner@lwvil.org or salter@lwvil.org and what specifically you'd like to discuss....forums, voter registration, voter service policies, etc.

We had a wonderful time at Women's March Chicago's March to the Polls on  Saturday, October 13.  Leaguers spent the morning passing out election resources to voters and then literally marched to the polls with the crowd for early voting.  The League of Women Voters of Illinois was proud to be a sponsor of this event. 

The March provided a tremendous opportunity to gain exposure for the League and promote Illinois Voter Guide.   League volunteers distributed: 
  • 2,400 LWV "Our Vote is Our Voice" buttons, 
  • 4,900 Illinois Voter Guide palm cards, and 
  • 150 rally signs. 

Our volunteers directly engaged with well over 2,300 people. League materials were very visible in the crowd, and on local news stories and in print media photographs. LWVIL Executive Director Audra Wilson was interviewed on WGN news (which also aired on CLTV), and LWV Chicago President Annie Logue was interviewed on NBC. 


This year, when you plan your year-end giving, please consider a gift to the League of Women Voters of Illinois. The League is participating in Giving Tuesday.

Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season.

Watch our social media and your email inbox on Giving Tuesday for how to participate.


 
MembershipLeagues Growing Across Illinois
 
The following groups are working to become chartered Leagues in Illinois and they participate in monthly phone calls with Membership Chairs Sue Kalaieff and Erin Roeper. These League-affiliated  groups are known as Member at Large (MAL) Units. 
  • Northwest Lake Region MAL Unit: Applied for and was voted by the LWVIL Board to be accepted as a MAL Unit in early 2018.  Started with a group of 8 League members from two other local leagues in the area, all of whom were participating in the Lake County InterLeague Organization. They established an area they thought was underserved and incorporated the area in the name of the Northwest Lake Region MAL.  Topics of particular interest are immigration and the Electoral College. They have determined a board of directors with a chair, a vice-chair, a secretary, a treasurer, and a membership chair.
  • St. Clair County MAL Unit: Applied for and was voted by the LWVIL Board to be accepted as a MAL Unit in May, 2018.  Members of this unit are led by a dynamic leader who is active in her sorority.  So far their participation in civic activities include registering people to vote, lobbying, issue media campaigns, polling and public forums. They have identified a demographic which they feel are underserved and have incorporated their area in the name of their MAL: St. Clair County.  They are involved and agree with the League's positions on SB34 VOICES Act (law enforcement agencies provide certifying documents to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking and HB4469 (that would establish a framework to help pre-trial detainees in IL exercise their right to vote).
  • Rock Island County  MAL Unit: Applied for and was voted by the LWVIL Board to be accepted as a MAL unit on Sept. 8, 2018.  Members of this small MAL unit are involved with several arenas of interest, including voter registration of underserved populations (especially their Hispanic population, refugees, and the LGBT community.  There are 52 different languages in their geographical area.  All 14 MAL members are trained as voter registrars.  They planned to do a voter registration event at Mercado (an Hispanic market).  Another community organization (League of United Latin American Citizens) is sponsoring a candidate forum and has asked this MAL unit to partner with them.  They are working on becoming visible in the community: using Facebook, lots of word of mouth, and communication with other small groups in the community.
IssuesIssues and Advocacy Update
  
SAVE THE DATE for the 2019 Issues Briefing
March 2, 2019 9:30 am - 4:00 pm                                               
University Center, 525 South State Street, Chicago, IL

Plan to join Leaguers from around the state to hear from leading experts and particip
ate  in workshops on the Issues you care most about! 


Issues and Advocacy Report Summaries for October 
Summaries of the reports are available here.

AdvocacyWe're Hiring: Marketing & Communications Specialist

The League is seeking applicants for a Marketing and Communications Specialist. This is a full time position in our Chicago office. Please share the job description with your contacts. The deadline for submitting cover letters and resumes is November 14, 2018. 

HistoryHistory of the League
This is the ninth in our series. See all of these articles on our website:    http://www.lwvil.org/history-of-the-league.html

Brief History of Women's Suffrage in Illinois
The Illinois women's suffrage movement began in 1855 with the formation of the state's first suffrage association in Earlville, a small town in LaSalle County west of Chicago. Suffrage conventions held in 1869 linked early Illinois suffrage activism to the national movement, and resulted in the formation of the first statewide suffrage organization, the Illinois Woman Suffrage Association (IWSA).   READ MORE  
FOR MORE INFORMATION

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League of Women Voters of Illinois 
332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 634 | Chicago, Illinois 60604
p. 312.939.5935 | f. 312.939.6887 | info@lwvil.org