We don’t need to tell any of you how much this election matters, and with so much riding on the top of the ticket, it’s easy to get distracted from the down-ballot races that also impact how our tax dollars are spent, how our criminal justice system operates, and our progress in the struggles for equality and equity.
Related: Confused and Freaked Out About How to Vote? Same. So We Created This Guide
Unsurprisingly, more women than ever are running for office across the country, but we are still less than a third of the nation’s elected leaders. In Illinois, women continue to make strides, but we’re still woefully underrepresented.
Related: Chicago-area Women Running for Office in 2018
If you know of a woman who you’d love to see in an elected office, the organization She Should Run has an Ask a Woman to Run for Office tool that lets you submit their names. The group has set out to get 250,000 women to run by the year 2030. #250KBY2030
This ambitious list of women running for office in Chicago and beyond is very much a work in progress, so if you have any suggestions, recommendations or candidates’ names, please let us know!
Related: Election-Inspired Plays Make A Case To Voters
Resources:
- Sample ballots are available from: the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, the Cook County Clerk’s Office, your local election authority, or Ballotpedia.
- Several organizations have guides and information for Illinois voters, including the League of Women Voters of Illinois, Indivisible Illinois, and Ballot Ready.
- For a condensed list of pro-choice Democratic women candidates in Illinois, visit Emily’s List.
- For more information about the Cook County judicial elections, we recommend checking out Injustice Watch’s Check Your Judges tool.
- And don’t miss the Girl, I Guess: A Progressive Voter Guide to the 2020 General Election in Cook County and Beyond
Photo by Jennifer Griffin of Chicago artist Mac Blackout’s mural encouraging Americans to get out and vote in the upcoming election.