Illinois Election Protection
At Common Cause Illinois, we are committed to defending voting rights, making the ballot box accessible for all eligible voters, and safeguarding our voting systems so that every voter is guaranteed an accurate and fair election.
Every election cycle, we run a statewide Election Protection program that helps voters to navigate the polls and informs them of their rights. We also provide robust training for volunteer poll watchers who help to ensure that election judges and poll workers follow the law. In fact, Common Cause Illinois has a history of deploying one of the largest nonpartisan voter protection programs in the state.

BECOME AN ELECTION PROTECTION VOLUNTEER
No qualified Illinoisan should be deprived of their right to vote due to confusion, suppression, or intimidation.
That’s why Common Cause Illinois has developed an election protection program for midterm and presidential elections. Direct volunteer intervention is the most effective way to make sure voters can’t be disenfranchised by confusion over election rules, long lines, under-resourced polling places, and acts of intimidation or deception.
With our election protection program, we help eliminate these obstacles and make elections more efficient by:
- Ensuring voters have access to the ballot box to make their vote count
- Providing voters with necessary voting information and answering their questions
- Quickly identifying and correcting any problems at polling places
- Gathering information to illustrate potential barriers to voting
Join us in safeguarding our elections by signing up to be a:
- Poll Monitor: Identify issues at the polls, answer voters’ questions, and connect those who are denied a ballot to legal resources. PPE will be provided.
- Social Media Monitor: Search for social media posts that share issues at the polls, connect voters to resources and support, and report election-related mis- and disinformation.
Click below to learn more about the program, or to sign up to help us protect the vote!