Chicago Votes

“That means everyone, Welch said pointing out the various ethnic groups and including people of all ages. Making it clear, Welch said, “An attack on anybody’s voting rights is an attack on everybody’s voting rights.”
Welch said there have been 70
Speakers of the House of Representatives since the State of Illinois was established in 1818, 69 were white. Welch is the first African American to hold that position.
“The fight is not over,” he said urging all people to register and vote and make a difference in the upcoming election. “It is our turn.”

🚨 URGENT: The Jesse Jackson Fair Access to Democracy Ordinance will receive a full City Council vote tomorrow, and we need your support to reach the finish line.

📍 Wednesday, May 20th
📍 City Council Chambers — 121 N. LaSalle Street, 2nd Floor
⏰ 10 A.M.

🚨 COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION!

Support the passage of this important legislation by taking the following actions:

• Show up tomorrow at City Council Chambers and show your support for the ordinance
• Read and share the full briefing deck through the link in our bio
• Call your alderman and urge them to support the ordinance
• Share this post with your network of organizers, activists, and community members

Together, we can push this across the finish line.

Justice

Democracy should include everyone.

Advocates, organizers, and community leaders are calling on Illinois lawmakers to pass the RACE Act, legislation that would restore voting rights to incarcerated people and expand civic education access across Illinois prisons.

“A democracy cannot function while excluding the very people most impacted by its decisions.” — Marlon Chamberlain

The Reintegration and Civic Empowerment (RACE) Act [Senate Bill 2983, House Bill 5414] is a crucial piece of legislation that would:

• Restore voting rights to people incarcerated in Illinois while they are serving their sentence, adding an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 Illinois citizens back on the voter rolls and giving them space to hold elected leaders accountable.

• Expand civic education course offerings led by incarcerated peer educators so incarcerated people can access these lessons throughout their incarceration.

• Make Illinois the first state to restore voting rights to people in prison.

🚨 COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION!
Follow and through the Linktree in our bio, take the following actions TODAY:

• Write a letter to your lawmaker urging them to support the RACE Act
• Sign our RACE Act petition
• Call , , and Senate President urging them to pass the RACE Act
• Join the Unlock Civics Coalition by reaching out to [email protected]
• Sign up to register voters inside the Cook County Jail
• Call your lawmaker urging their support of the RACE Act
• Read, share, and distribute the RACE Act fact sheet

Reporting by on

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, a signature accomplishment of the Civil Rights Movement, was recently eviscerated by the Supreme Court, leaving the nation unsure about the future of voting rights in America. To counter this federal government attack, we’re fighting for systemic change locally through the Reintegration and Civic Empowerment (RACE) Act [Senate Bill 2983, House Bill 5414]. This crucial piece of legislation would:

* Restore voting rights to people incarcerated in Illinois while they are serving their sentence, adding an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 Illinois citizens back on the rolls as voters and give them space to hold elected leaders accountable.
* Expand civic education course offerings led by incarcerated peer educators for incarcerated people so that they may access these lessons the entire time of their incarceration.
* Make Illinois the first state to restore voting rights to people in prison.

Last month, and the Unlock Civics Coalition hosted a press conference at the Springfield State Capitol Blue Room, aimed at condemning Illinois prison conditions and demanding restoration of voting rights to all incarcerated citizens in Illinois. Hear the remarks from our highlighted speakers an why they support this bill:

1. Frederique Desrosiers - Chicago Votes Policy Director
2. State Senator and RACE Act co-sponsor
3. Conner Kozisek -
4. Nicole Porter -
5. Stevie Valles - Chicago Votes CEO

🚨COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION! Follow and through the Linktree in our bio, take the following actions TODAY:
* Write a letter to your lawmaker urging them to support the RACE Act
* Sign our RACE Act petition
* Call , , and Senate President urging them to pass the RACE Act
* Join the Unlock Civics Coalition by reaching out to [email protected]
* Sign up to register voters inside the Cook County Jail
* Call your lawmaker urging their support of the RACE Act
* Read and share the RACE Act fact sheet