In 1920, the US adopted the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits the states and federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.  The event represented decades of suffrage activism at the state and national level.  Below is a link to some fascinating stories to remind us of that history. 

The League's Candidate Forums (co-sponsored by NAACP and the News-Gazette) are under way and being recorded for viewing. The first 7 videos are now available on the League's YouTube site.  You can browse them there, or check out the specific links on the Candidate Forums page. These are the videos available so far: 

• Champaign City Council Districts 1, 3, and 4
• Urbana School Board subdistricts 3 and 7
• Parkland  Board of Trustees 6 year term
• Urbana Park District Commissioner
• Urbana Alderman Ward 6
• Village of Savoy Trustee

Check back as additional videos are posted. (Urbana Alderman Wards 2 and 4).

Did you know that starting March 10  you can register and vote on the same day and at the same time?  Voting and registering on the same day has the advantage of getting it all done at once.  However, you must be prepared when you go. For information on same-day registration and voting, see  County Clerk's website, under the topic "Grace Period Registration" on the Register to Vote page.  Or take a look at the information below from the  Register to Vote page of this website. ​

You have the following options for registering on the same day and at the same time you vote: 

• At Champaign County Clerk’s office March 10 - April 6.
• At University of Illinois campus Early Voting location March 30 - April 5.  Pull down the "When and Where to Early Vote" section.
• At county-wide Early Voting location March 30 -April 5.  Pull down the "When and Where to Early Vote" section.
• On election day, at your polling place or any county-wide Early Voting site on April 6.

First-time voters should bring two forms of identification when you vote in person. You may be asked to show one or both. One needs to be a photo ID. At least one must show your name and current permanent street address. Examples of ID that meet one or both requirements include but aren’t limited to these:

• Illinois driver’s license or state ID, hunting or fishing license
• FOID (firearm owner id) card, library card, student ID card, passport
• Electronic or print copy of a lease or rent receipt showing your address 
• ​Any piece of mail delivered to you at your residence, an online bill or receipt showing your address 

More information on same day registration/voting is available under the topic "Grace Period Registration" on the Register to Vote page of the County Clerk's website. For ID information, see the Election Section Links on that webpage.

​What better way to commemorate Women’s History Month than by adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the constitution. 
 
The ERA offers protection for all genders. One hundred years in the making, this is a crucial amendment whose time has come. It has been ratified by the required 38 states and is held back only by an ambiguous and legally questionable deadline imposed when it was passed 49 years ago.
 
Honor Women's History Month by helping make history. Tell Congress to remove the ERA ratification deadline.
 
“We need the ERA because our nation must close the book once and for all on the idea that equality of rights is a debatable issue. Because a constitution is not only a set of legal protections: it is a proclamation of a nation’s values.”
 
 —Deborah Turner, Board President, League of Women Voters of the United States

This message and other News You Can Use are available online from the Illinois League of Women Voters (LWVIL). ​

Changes to election laws that were put in place for Covid protection helped drive voter turnout to record levels in November. However, many of them expired at year’s end. These temporary changes represent great strides in protecting and expanding equitable voter access and LWVIL strongly supports legislation that would make them permanent. 

LWVIL sent letters to key legislative leaders this week in support of election law changes we would like to see the Illinois General Assembly approve this spring. Among them:

• Make Election Day a state holiday
• Broader statewide dates and times for early voting
• Drop boxes and collection sites for vote by mail ballots
• Supersites for early voting and use on election day
• Allow establishment of permanent vote by mail list  

Contact your legislators to express support for election law changes that will make it easier for you to vote your voice. ​