At an October 10 Oak Park Village Board study session, the board discussed putting a referendum on ranked choice voting before the voters during the March 2024 primary election. Our League, along with members from VOICE and Fair Vote Illinois, were at this meeting to discuss RCV and to answer questions about the possibility of the referendum question. Unfortunately, after much discussion by board members, even though three board members were in favor of putting this on the March ballot, because there wasn't a majority of board members in favor, it was decided to delay any vote on this proposal until after March 1. This is the date set for the Illinois Task Force (Public Act 103-467) final report on ranked choice voting. The Wednesday Journal had a great recap of the entire meeting. Read it here. We will continue to keep you updated on this campaign. We will be asking for "in person" support at future 2024 meetings on RCV to convince the Oak Park Village Board that we support this idea. Get ready!

Flooded basements are becoming more common in Chicago and the suburbs, which were built over a maze of rivers and marshy wetlands.

WBEZ's program, Curious City, has received a lot of questions over the years about flooding in the area. So they created a great guide to everything you need to know, including tips on how to prevent flooding and what city officials could do to help the situation. It's a great piece on the why this is happening. Read it here.

Join the LWV Upper Michigan River Region and Rob Lee, attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates, to discuss the implications of the May 2023 Supreme Court decision that restricted implementation of the Clean Water Act. This decision removed "discontinuous" wetlands and ephemeral streams from Clean Water Act jurisdiction and will have far-reaching consequences in states that depended on federal regulations for this protection. Which states will be most impacted in our region? What will it mean for the upper Mississippi River? What the heck can we do about it, anyhow?  Join us for this webinar on November 6 at 4:00pm.  Click here to register for the webinar.

Volunteers Needed! A big thank you to members Joan Petertil and Carlotta Lucchesi for volunteering to co-chair the committee organizing our League’s 100^th birthday celebration, scheduled for October 20, 2024. The gala committee has the momentous task of organizing the event, including the program, speakers, entertainment, invitations, and decorations, all of which will require considerable volunteer hours to accomplish. Please consider what talent and time you have to contribute! Graphic designer? Amazing organizational skills? Artistic flair? Audio-visual whiz? Watch this space for volunteer opportunities or if you’re ready to sign up now, send an e-mail to Joan or Carlotta .

On Wednesday, November 8, at 5:30 pm, LWV Chicago will present a virtual or

in-person discussion at the University of Chicago Regenstein Library on artificial intelligence. What is AI and how could it put elections and democracy at risk? Join the Chicago in Focus program to discuss with Kevin B. Boyd, University of Chicago Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer, and Matt Morton, University of Chicago Executive Director and Chief Information Security Officer. Register to attend. Free and open to the public.

Great Decisions Book discussions begin in February.  Group discussions with new 2024 topics will begin in February at Maze Branch Library and Brookdale Senior Living. Meetings will then run twice a month through May. If books are purchased before the end of October, we will receive a 20% discount. Please please contact chair Alex Matthews if you have questions or are interested in purchasing a book. This promises to be an exciting series of discussions about international issues exploring 8 subjects over 8 sessions. You can see the topics here.

Mark your calendars for the November 14 Second Tuesday discussion on the national popular vote for presidential elections. It will once again be held at the Oak Park Main Library from 9:30-11:30am.

The LWV Lake Michigan Annual Meeting is scheduled for November 11 and 12 in Evanston. The conference is open to all. It is a relaxed and enlightening weekend and a chance to think about big picture issues while networking with Leaguers from four states. Contact Jane Hastings if you are interested in attending.

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