NCJW Chicago North Shore Convenes Growing Coalition to Help Individuals Navigate Voting During COVID-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2020

Your vote is your voice. Make sure you’re heard in November.

Voting during a pandemic is complicated, but Illinois is rising to the occasion. The state’s emergency election law provides multiple ways for you to vote safely, by mail or in person, on Election Day or in the weeks before.

Are you worried about long lines in your precinct on Nov. 3? Take advantage of expanded early voting hours or request a no-excuse-needed absentee ballot to vote by mail. Don’t trust the post office to deliver your ballot on time? Take it to a secure drop box instead. Need someone to deliver it for you? The new law has that covered, too. And if you change your mind about that mail ballot, you can surrender it at your polling place and vote in person.

If you’re most comfortable voting in your neighborhood precinct on Election Day, know that sanitation and social distancing will be enforced, for the safety of voters and poll workers alike. Still, the more people who vote early or by mail, the less congestion in the precincts on Nov. 3.

“Whatever the challenge, voting is your right,” said Jan Schwartz, NCJW Chicago North Shore Board Member and Promote the Vote Illinois Chair. “Plan your vote. If you vote by mail, mail in your ballot no later than two weeks before the election, or use a drop box. If you don’t get your ballot, you can still vote in person. Just sign an affidavit and go forward. If you choose to vote in person, precaution is being taken to make it safe. It is simply a matter of knowing your options and deciding what works for you. The time to think about it is now.”

Promote the Vote Illinois is growing non-profit, non-partisan coalition of organizations convened by NCJW Chicago North Shore.   These 20 organizations have come together to help navigate voting during COVID-19. Promote the Vote Illinois is committed to making voting easier and more accessible for all voters, by developing printed and internet communication tools and utilizing strategies that can reach the most disenfranchised members of our community. Promote the Vote Illinois has developed a list of frequently asked questions along with helpful voter resources.  Visit www.bettergov.org to view. For more information about Promote the Vote Illinois, contact Jan Schwartz at [email protected].

Coalition members include: Access Community Health Network, Better Government Association , Chicago Women Take Action, Citizen Action Illinois, Congregation Hakafa, Cradles to Crayons Chicago, First Ladies Health Initiative, Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO), Jewish Community Relations Council, League of Women Voters (LWV) of Illinois, LWV Chicago, LWV Naperville, Mikva Challenge , National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) Chicago North Shore, NCJW South Cook, Protest to the Polls, Illinois Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, National Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Reform for Illinois, and the South Suburban Chicago (IL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

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The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of over 100,000 volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.