A great year for strengthening our democracy

As we look forward to 2015, it is important to take a moment to remember what we accomplished together this year. It’s easy to get distracted by setbacks. But in fact, we made real progress to strengthen our democracy.

Thanks to all kinds of support from members like you–donations, activism, and volunteerism–Common Cause Illinois has made it easier to vote, progressed toward a better campaign finance system, and fought for an open Internet.

This year, Common Cause Illinois successfully:

• Advocated for the passage of Election Day Voter Registration, and expanded it to every election and nearly every precinct
• Worked with City Hall to put public financing on the Chicago ballot for February 24, 2015
• Worked with community leaders to fight voter suppression in two elections
• Partnered with the technology community to defend net neutrality and keep the Internet open
• Advocated for the passage of an Illinois Constitutional amendment to bolster voting rights

Thank you for supporting our work this year. We could not have achieved any of these victories without your continued support.

In 2015, we look forward to a big election. We are asking Chicagoans to vote “yes” on February 24 to empower voters and reduce the influence of big special interest money in our elections using public financing. It’s based on the New York City system, and it is the national model that we are working on across the country to pass at local and state levels. In this election and beyond, we’ll continue to defeat voter suppression and advocate for campaign finance reform throughout Illinois.

Leading up to the 2015 FCC decision on net neutrality, we will continue advocating alongside a coalition we assembled from the local tech community to protect the open Internet. This is the biggest current battle in our national Media & Democracy Reform Initiative and will affect the future of communications in America. With your help, we can succeed.

On behalf of everyone at Common Cause Illinois, we really want to thank you again for kindness and support. It means everything to us, and we cannot wait to keep working together for democracy in the coming year.