The political stage is not just on the national level and the people of Illinois know it. Illinois voters care about the politics and issues in their own back yard, especially those on the municipal level, like their school board and municipal elections, that affect their children, neighborhoods and livelihoods.
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Enter the League of Women Voters, one of the nation's oldest and most respected civic engagement organizations. For the last 99 years, the League has remained steadfast in the belief that informed and active participation of citizens in government is the hallmark of democracy. Its members build on this mission today through continued grass-roots and nonpartisan work to educate the electorate with well-researched positions that aid voters in making sound decisions when they cast their ballots; an invaluable resource to combat the hyper-partisanship that can come from ill-informed voting constituencies.

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Daily Herald
Audra Wilson
Published: February 13, 2019

HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY — In a building named for the first — and only— black mayor of Chicago, activists and politicians on Monday officially unveiled the first street in the history of the city to be named for a black woman.
Congress Pkwy. is now Ida B. Wells Drive.
After years of work from public and private stakeholders — and the descendants of Wells herself — to recognize the pioneering journalist and Civil Rights activist’s contributions to Chicago, the unveiling ceremony became a celebration at the Harold Washington Library.

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Block Club Chicago
Jamie Nesbitt Golden 
Published: February 11, 2019

"On Jan. 3 Rep. John Sarbanes introduced the U.S. House of Representatives’ first bill, HR1, The For the People Act. While many are calling it the most sweeping pro-democracy and anti-corruption legislation of the past 50 years, it may be more perceptive to call it the most important civil rights legislation in the last 50 years.

The right to vote and the right to representation in our representative democracy have been slowly eroding over the years and people have come to realize that we must act now before our rights are gone. The flaws within our democracy have evolved over time. The causes are complex. But there are simple remedies for each of these flaws. The For the People Act packs all those solutions together into one package."

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Letter to Editor
Written by Rockford League members Elizabeth Lindquist and June Jacob
Rockford Register Star
Published: Sunday, February 3, 2019

"Members of the Winnetka-Northfield-Kenilworth League of Women Voters got the same end-of-year message from all three villages' officials Thursday -that economic initiatives, infrastructure plannning and the North Shore constant of storm water control efforts, kept communities hopping in 2018..."

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/winnetka/news/ct-wtk-northfield-state-of-village-reports-tl-1213-story.html

​Published December 7, 2018.

"Representatives from school boards across Illinois voted down a resolution Saturday that would have instructed the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) to lobby for proposed legislation that would give school districts the option of allowing trained teachers and other school personnel to carry guns in schools as part of a Student Safety and Protection Plan..."

http://www.rblandmark.com/News/Articles/11-20-2018/Schools-vote-down-lobbying-effort-to-arm-teachers/

Published November 20, 2018.

"Despite affluence, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff residents need to be as proactive about gun violence as those in any other community, said Ingrid Wiemer, executive director of student services for Lake Forest School District 67.

'We want to make sure we're not too complacent to think it couldn't happen here,' Wiemer said at a gun violence forum Sunday."

​https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-forest/news/ct-lfr-league-women-voters-gun-violence-panel-tl-1115-story.html

Published November 12, 2018

The Morgan County League of Women Voters will be hosting a presentation next week about proposed legislation that would influence more gun regulations within Illinois.
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Jane Masters, president of the Morgan County League of Women Voters, said the presentation “Gun Violence: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Heading,” will look at the organization’s stance on gun violence and prevention....

https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Gun-legislation-focus-of-presentation-13373888.php

Published on November 8, 2018.

On the heels of the organization’s success prior to the March primary, the League of Women Voters of Naperville will be out this weekend and next trying to get people to the polls in precincts with low voter turnout.
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This spring the league worked with American government students from Waubonsie Valley and Metea Valley high schools in Aurora on a Stroll to the Polls event in four Naperville Township precincts....

Read more: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-stroll-to-the-polls-st-1019-story.html

​Published October 18, 2018

Washington, Ill - Saturday morning the League of Women Voters hosted a Tazewell County candidates forum at Washington Community High School.
The event focused on the proposition to eliminate the position of the elected auditor.  After it moved into candidates having time to speak about their office and why Tazewell County residents should vote for them.  One of these positions that was discussed was the coroner's position....

https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/league-of-women-voters-holds-forum-for-tazewell-county-elections/1571046798

Posted November 3, 2018

Diane Hodges, of Matteson, and Barbara Koger Hayes, of Flossmoor, are trying to make a difference in the Southland. They are both south suburban leaders with the League of Women Voters.

“Voting is one of the ways you can impact quality of life,” said Hodges, who has been involved with the League of Women Voters of the Park Forest Area for five years. She is now the group’s board president....

Read more: 
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-knowles-column-st-1023-story.htmlwww.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-knowles-column-st-1023-story.html

Published October 22, 2018