CHICAGO — In the wake of an Illinois primary election marked by serious problems that directly impeded voters from expressing their right to vote, Common Cause Illinois is calling for comprehensive and immediate reforms to the state’s voting infrastructure and process. 

“The coronavirus pandemic was a stress test for our voting process here in Illinois, and it’s clear that we must do much better,” said Common Cause Illinois Executive Director Jay Young. “We must take immediate action to ensure that these same issues don’t arise during the November election.”

Voters across Illinois — and especially in the Chicagoland area — reported a range of problems including last minute polling place relocations, a lack of poll workers, social distancing issues as well as a lack of disinfection of shared touchscreens and more. 

Common Cause Illinois is calling for immediate reforms, including enhanced vote-by-mail programs, aggressive youth poll worker recruitment in high school and colleges across the state, and better emergency communications between election officials and the public.  In addition, Common Cause Illinois calls for the creation of an Election Protection Task Force to evaluate the egregious problems experienced by voters and to recommend additional measures to protect future elections in Illinois.