Illinois Redistricting Must Protect Fair Representation and Meet Common Cause Fairness Criteria
Common Cause, the nation’s premier redistricting leader, is urging Illinois state legislators to ensure that any mid-decade redistricting meets the organization’s six fairness criteria.
CCIL Op-ed: Sorry, but not all of us can vote from home
If you’ve been on the internet at all lately, you’ve probably seen the meme about Wisconsin’s primary: a gravestone embossed with the words, “I Voted.” The image is dark, but effective. As we have seen, holding elections during a pandemic is risky for voters and poll workers alike. In fact, several poll workers stationed in Chicago during Illinois’ earlier primary have since tested positive for COVID-19, including one who tragically died.
That’s why a growing movement of advocates such as the Just Democracy Illinois...
Testimony before the Illinois State Board of Elections
"In this time of crisis, our coalition has committed itself to working to ensure that every eligible voter who wants to vote in November can vote, in as safe a manner possible. It will take a coordinated effort to achieve this goal, and we intend to work closely with our state and local election officials, decision makers, coalition partners and community members."
The Nation: ‘Today, the United States of America Failed to Live Up to Our Democratic Ideals’
Common Cause Illinois Executive Director Jay Young got it right when he said, “The coronavirus pandemic was a stress test for our voting process here in Illinois, and it’s clear that we failed.”
The Washington Times: ‘Least Bad Solutions’: Voters, Officials Endure ‘Hectic and Trying Day’ at Polls
“It has been a hectic and trying day,” said Jay Young, executive director of the advocacy group Common Cause Illinois. “We immediately began seeing problems principally around polling places where election judges had chosen not to show.”
Washington Examiner: Advocates See ‘No Way’ Illinois Auto Voter Program Fully Running by November
“This lawsuit is really about trying to get the state to actually follow, not just the law that we passed but also other federal laws that are designed to protect voters,” said Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause Illinois.
The Fulcrum: Illinois Has Badly Fumbled AVR, and Now It’s Being Sued for Voting Rights Abuse
"Unfortunately, the promise of voter modernization and inclusivity has not only gone unfulfilled, it now appears that even basic voter registration services are mishandled in disregard of repeated calls for transparency and accountability by non-partisan organizations in the state," says the lawsuit, filed by the Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago, Change Illinois, Chicago Votes Education Fund, Common Cause Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Illinois Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.
NBC 5 Chicago: Activists Sue Over Illinois’ Automatic Voter Registration
“Unfortunately, the promise of voter modernization and inclusivity has not only gone unfulfilled, it now appears that even basic voter registration services are mishandled in disregard of repeated calls for transparency and accountability by non-partisan organizations in the state," according to the lawsuit.
"While former Governor Rod Blagojevich will get to walk free, Illinois is still being held prisoner to the consequences of his long record of corruption, bribery, and abuse of power. President Trump’s commutation of Blagojevich’s sentence is the latest action by a lawless president to undermine ethics and accountability in our government."
State Journal-Register: Illinois Discloses Fresh Problems with Voter Registration
“Our coalition’s attempts to engage the Secretary of State’s office in a process of accountability and transparency have been stonewalled time and again,” Jay Young, Executive Director for Common Cause Illinois, said in a statement. ”’They’ve given us no way to verify the few claims they’ve made about fixing AVR.”
