Allyson Haut, President

Jenny Grochowski, Treasurer

Cate Williams, Secretary

Rosemary Heilemann, Vice President, Issues and Advocacy, Co-chair

Kathy Kenny, Vice President, Voter Service, Co-chair

Laurie Rose, Vice President, Governance

Roberta Borrino, Communications

Sara Kurensky, Communications, Chair

Melissa Lieb, Voter Service, Co-chair

Jean Pierce, Issues and Advocacy, Co-chair

Azisti Dembowski, Executive Director

Together with partners nationwide, the League of Women Voters is acknowledging the anniversary of the deadly attack on our Capitol. LWVUS is encouraging Leagues across the nation to use this as a moment to come together with our communities, remember the attack, and commit to taking action to fix our democracy. We must raise our voices and encourage others to do the same to help pass national voting rights protections against the discriminatory voting laws that are rapidly being enacted across our country.  

Use the national momentum around this day of remembrance to get your community talking about defending democracy! Forty Illinois Leagues’ worth of community engagement and action will help raise awareness. Here are some ideas:

Make sure everyone understands that our democracy is under attack, and it is up to every one of us to rise to its defense.

Make these calls all month.

Join the national movement spearheaded by LWVUS, People for the American Way and Declaration for American Democracy. Call the White House and demand that the Biden-Harris Administration get the Senate to FIX or NIX the filibuster and PASS the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

When you call, you will hear a recording before being connected to the White House line. Need some help with what to say? Use this script from LWVUS:

They need to know how many of us support changes to the filibuster so that voting rights legislation can pass!

Take action to urge the passage of voting rights legislation in honor of Martin Luther King Junior.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper as an individual.

Sample wording:

Learn about our one-stop voter education tool so you can promote it to our members and communities throughout Illinois! Take a walk through the Illinois Voter Guide (IVG) and learn more about:

Registration required. Members only. Registration closes 24 hours prior to the event. The event link will be sent a day in advance and again an hour prior to the event. 

The League’s trained Observer Corps are a respected part of the community—they work to keep local governments accountable and community members informed.

Registration required. Members only. Registration closes 24 hours prior to the event. The event link will be sent a day in advance and again an hour prior to the event. 

Well-moderated candidate forums are a League hallmark thanks to well-trained moderators! Constituents and candidates rely on the professionalism and neutrality of LWV moderators. Learn how to facilitate a fair, informative, respectful, and inclusive forum.

Registration required. Members only. Registration closes 24 hours prior to the event. The event link will be sent a day in advance and again an hour prior to the event.

Please email voterservice@lwvil.org to be put on an interest list for future Illinois Voter Guide sessions and candidate forum, moderator, and observer trainings.

Join on zoom and get briefed. Hear from legislators and nonprofit leaders about issues and legislation anticipated to be front and center in 2022. Begin with Saturday morning plenaries, and continue with a variety of workshops throughout the week. Save the dates now to get the nonpartisan information you need to be an empowered advocate in 2022.

Please Note: The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on April 8, 2022. Due to this shortened session, LWVIL will not hold Lobby Day for Spring 2022. Information about advocacy for specific bills will be shared during Issues Briefing in March.