On Monday, September 19, our League made a request of the Oak Park Village Board to include a referendum question on Ranked Choice Voting on the April 2023 ballot. Home rule villages like Oak Park can put this question directly to their voters. Non-home rule communities need to get legislative approval to do so. Should Oak Park Village Trustees, Clerk, and President be elected using Ranked Choice Voting? That is the binding referendum question we want the Village Board to consider. 

Evanston has put a binding referendum question on their November 8 ballot. They have a Zoom panel discussion scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, at 7:00pm. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and Alisa Kaplan, Executive Director of Reform for Illinois, will speak to this important issue. Our League will be planning a similar presentation in November, but you can start to learn more about RCV now by registering for their event here. Would you like to join our group to work on citizen, League member, and Oak Park Trustee educational efforts? Then contact Peggy Kell.

Voting is the bedrock of democracy. But who can we vote for if no one puts themselves forward as a candidate? So many local, state, and national elections are pre-ordained because there is only one person on the ballot. The municipal elections are coming up in April, 2023. Do you know of someone who would make a good candidate for a school, park, library, township, or village board? How and what do they need to do to get on the ballot? Well, on Wednesday, October 26, we will be having a presentation by legal experts Jonathan Priest and Anne Skrodzki, from Klein, Thorpe, & Jenkins on "How to Get and Stay on the Ballot." Reserve the date now, and registration information will be in our October newsletter. This presentation will be open to all interested citizens. 

Today is the last day to renew your membership AND be included in the directory. Reminder emails were sent and calls were made to those members who still needed to renew. The directory will be put together this week and sent out for printing. Those of you who have requested a printed copy will then be mailed one. Electronic copies will be sent to all members and updated as new members join. We thank those people who continue to support us with their membership and their involvement. Couldn't do it without you!

There are still open volunteer slots for the Donut Fundraiser on Saturday, October 22. This is a no-brainer to raise League dollars without asking our members to contribute funds, just your time and work efforts.  

Check out the open time slots with this link and sign up on an open line. Don’t forget to enter your phone number and email address. Then hit Submit. You should receive a confirmation email. Training will be provided if you are unsure of a particular position. If you have any questions, please contact Joan Petertil. She'll be there bright and early!

Celebrate the Chicago Women's History Center's 50th Anniversary on Thursday, October 27, from 5:00-7:30pm at Columbia College’s Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. This fundraiser for CWHC includes a special program, speaker, printed anniversary book, appetizers, wine, live music, fun, festivities, and lots of friends and supporters of CWHC. The event will follow the masking suggestions of the CDC. The speaker for "50 & Forward" will be Esther Nieves, a vision-driven leader in the non-profit sector with experience working with grassroots, statewide, and national organizations. In-person tickets will be $100. Register for this event here.

LWV US September 22 Update

LWV Lake Michigan October 21-22 Annual Meeting Conference

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