Your news feed likely is filled with hot takes and prophecies of what the future will hold following the presidential election, but don’t overlook pro-democracy reforms happening here in Illinois. Voters continue to send a clear message: Illinoisans are ready for electoral reforms that empower residents and fix our broken systems.
Together, FairVote Illinois and CHANGE Illinois have been working with local community members who want to make our state’s election system fairer and more representative, leading to more accountability for politicians. Voters across the state have agreed, through resounding wins in support of ranked choice voting (RCV) and fair maps.
As a result of the recent election, Oak Park will become the second Chicago-area municipality to adopt RCV for local elections, following Evanston, where voters approved RCV by an overwhelming margin in 2022.
Those aren’t the only communities that want to see change in Illinois. Oak Park and Proviso Township voters overwhelmingly approved advisory referendums calling for an independent commission to draw political maps. Peoria voters supported an advisory referendum calling for the use of RCV statewide after they voted in favor of a referendum for fair maps in 2022. Berwyn voters passed a similar RCV advisory referendum in 2022.
These are efforts being driven by neighbors in your community tired of broken systems that don’t represent them, not by mega-donors and corporate interests. These grassroots efforts are the first step in building a statewide movement for a government that is more representative and equitable for the people it serves.
Illinoisans understand that they deserve a better system that doesn’t discount their vote because they don’t want to hedge bets by voting for who they think can win versus who their preferred candidate is. RCV is a solution to this problem because if no candidate receives a majority of votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated, and their vote goes to their second choice and so on until a winner receives a majority.
Illinoisans understand it is problematic for political maps to be drawn by the very people who will benefit from picking their voters. Instead, they want maps drawn by the community members in an open, equitable and transparent process.
Illinoisans understand that through RCV and fair maps, we can build upon Illinois’ track record of strong voting rights and create a truly representative democracy that is responsive to the needs of voters and encourages us to participate in our elections.
These are changes that can happen in your community, too. At a time when making meaningful change happen can feel like an insurmountable challenge, people in Illinois are fighting for real reforms.
FairVote Illinois is working to get local referendums on the ballot in Chicago, Skokie and Naperville. CHANGE Illinois is continuing to work to empower residents across the state to bring fair maps to Illinois.
To see fair maps or ranked choice voting statewide, there must be demand from a people-powered movement of communities across the state. Everyday Illinoisans have the opportunity to be leaders in this movement and send a unified message to elected officials, as these changes must ultimately come from the legislature.
Through efforts such as RCV and redistricting, we can show Illinois and the nation what a strong democracy truly looks like.
Rebecca Willliams is the statewide organizer at FairVote Illinois who led the Evanston and Oak Park campaigns. She has worked in policy advocacy and organizing since 2017. DuShaun Branch is the community organizing director at CHANGE Illinois and is leading the statewide work to build a people-powered movement for fair maps. Branch is a former North Lawndale organizer.
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