CBA Record September-October 2022

PRO BONOWEEK 2022 – EMPOWERING PEOPLE, EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES

If you are interested in volunteer f ing to support the right to vote there is an opportunity for you to do so for Election Protection, jail voting support, and ongoing advocacy partnerships. !POWsQ/ ZspnU+*5 !/22O))UU )+sO0* '/Lf unteers for every election cycle and will soon be recruiting more volunteers. To learn more about potential opportunities, please contact us through Cliff Helm at chelm@clccrul.org.

Cliff Helm (chelm@clccrul. org) is a Program Counsel at Chicago Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights.

Community partners from Chicago Votes (left) with volunteer Alison Cooney of Dechert LLP and Senior Counsel Ami Gandhi (far right) in Spring fi eld to support a bill to allow people in prison to vote.

Three Elections in 2022 and 2023

set of election judges, ballots, and voting equipment. The change in how precincts are drawn means that an increase in size will result in a reduction in the total number of pre f cincts in Chicago. It is not yet clear what impact this will have on the number of total polling places in Chicago. We hope that the Chicago Board of Elections will proactively engage com f munities in this process. But the reality is that this is a complex system and when there is an abrupt change, there is always a risk that people will be left with confusion and questions. It is our job to ensure that voters have a resource to answer those ,(U*)O/0*e 6/L(0)UU+* S+/2 )PU LUQsL W/2f munity are an essential part of ensuring those questions get answered.

Each of the three upcoming elections (the General Election, the municipal election, s0V )PU LOMULn +(0f/SS 2(0OWO-sL ULUW)O/0k have their own unique circumstances and challenges. Several changes are coming for the General Election in November, with the biggest change impacting elections in Chicago. Due to a change in state law, the size of the precincts is increasing )/ O0WL(VU *OQ0OuWs0)Ln 2/+U -U/-LU -U+ precinct. A precinct is the geographic subdivision that determines what ballot a person votes on and where their polling place is. Many polling places in Chicago in the previous election encompassed mul f tiple precincts, each precinct with its own

Vo t i n g R i g h t s P r o B o n o Opportunities Pro bono attorneys can get involved in many ways to increase access to voting. Attorneys interested in volunteering to support the right to vote can volunteer with Election Protection, jail voting support, and ongoing advocacy part f 0U+*PO-* pO)P )PU !POWsQ/ ZspnU+*5 Committee for Civil Rights. Chicago ZspnU+*5 !/22O))UU )+sO0* '/L(0)UU+* for every election cycle and will soon be recruiting more volunteers. To hear more about potential opportunities, please contact us through Program Counsel Cliff Helm at chelm@clccrul.org.

Connecting with Pro Bono ^S n/( ps0) )/ '/L(0)UU+ r() s+U05) *(+U pPU+U )/ L//M for a pro bono opportunity, the CBF has you covered. "+/p*U )PU!"a5*A0LO0U@+/"/0/A--/+)(0O)n`(OVUs) P))-*BddWrSeN/O0-sLsVO0eW/2dWPOWsQ/frs+fS/(0Vs)O/0 )/ *Us+WP /'U+ Kcc -+/ r/0/ /--/+)(0O)OU* )/ u0V /0U )Ps)5* +OQP) S/+ n/(e y/( Ws0 r+/p*U rn s+Us /S Lspg *W/-U /S U0QsQU2U0)g /+ LU'UL /S Uo-U+OU0WU )/ u0V s volunteer experience to match your individual interests and goals. =)OLL Ps'U ,(U*)O/0* sr/() -+/ r/0/% !/0)sW) bLO*U ;O0WPU+g #**/WOs)U zO+UW)/+ /S @+/Q+s2* . #V'/WsWn s) lIKJk GGHfKJcE /+ U)O0WPU+$WPOWsQ/rs+S/(0Vs)O/0e/+Qe

34 September/October 2022