Chicago Votes

🚨 RACE ACT POWER HOUR

The fight for a more inclusive democracy continues, and we need you in the room.

Join us for a community action workshop where we’ll take direct advocacy actions to support the passage of the RACE Act. Together, we’ll build power, protect democracy, and push for voting rights restoration in Illinois.

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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 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.

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

HISTORY MADE IN CHICAGO.

The Jesse Jackson Fair Access to Democracy Ordinance has officially PASSED in a 42–8 City Council vote.

This landmark victory strengthens democratic access across Chicago by:
• Protecting election workers from doxxing, harassment, and intimidation
• Expanding vote-by-mail access through secure residential mailboxes
• Creating a permanent Democracy Access Working Group
• Addressing barriers to safe, fair, and accessible civic participation

This win was made possible by organizers, advocates, coalition partners, and community members across Chicago who showed up and fought for a stronger democracy.

Thank you to the 30+ organizations who helped push this across the finish line.
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But the work does not stop here. As we celebrate this victory, we must continue fighting for the passage of the RACE Act.
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 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.

🚨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

🚨 URGENT: FILE A WITNESS SLIP FOR THE RACE ACT

Chicago Votes just learned that HB5414, the RACE Act, has been called in committee for tomorrow, and we need everyone’s help showing strong support. We’re asking all coalition members, community members, creatives, and partners to please take a minute to file a witness slip as a proponent of the bill before the hearing tomorrow, May 19th, at 2 p.m. This is a quick but important way to demonstrate broad support for restoring voting rights, expanding civic education, and strengthening democracy in Illinois.

File your witness slip using the link in our bio! Instructions on how to complete a witness slip:

Section 1: Fill out your information
If filing as an individual, put “self” for organization/title.

Section 2: Enter your organization name or “self” or Unlock Civics Coalition 

Section 3:
- Select HB5414 in the add subject matter drop-down menu
- Select “Proponent”
- Click the blue “Add Position” button

Section 4:
- Select “Record of Appearance Only”
- Then check the agreement box and hit submit.

Filing a witness slip only takes a minute, but it helps show lawmakers that there is strong statewide support for the RACE Act. Please also share this with your teams, members, and networks if you can.

Thank y’all for continuing to show up for this work and the passage of this crucial piece of legislation.