PC CORNER – JUNE 2020
By Chris Hotchkin
We have been very inspired by
the large crowds protesting for Black Lives Matters, including in our township
in Hinsdale and Downers Grove. It is wonderful to see so many young people
engaged and active. But—it is so important that we not only march, put up
signs, and use social media--the most important thing is that we all VOTE,
including and especially these same young people.
One of the most important
roles we have as precinct committeepersons is to register voters or encourage
our citizens to register online. As a Precinct Committeeperson, you are a Voter
Registrar, if you signed the Voter Registrar portion of your PC petition, which
I am sure you did. This means you can register voters using the county
registration form. When you use this form, you cannot be partisan—cannot be
canvassing for a candidate or wearing candidate buttons, t-shirts, etc. When
you use this form, you ask the prospective voter for identification, and then
you complete the form. You can obtain these forms from the DuPage County
Clerk’s office.
Another easy way to get
someone registered is to just guide them to the state voter registration
website: ova.elections.il.gov. Here anyone can register online, filling out
the form themselves. They need to have a state driver’s license or state ID. This
is also a good place to check if an individual is indeed registered.
Remember that a young person
may register to vote if they will be 18 on or before November 3, 2020. So as a PC, you may want to check with your
Democratic households to see if they have any young people who need to be
registered.
In this newsletter are
informative articles about the Vote by Mail legislation and the Illinois Fair
Tax initiative. It is important as a PC to be well informed on both
initiatives. Because of COVID-19 many of the voters in your precinct may want
to Vote by Mail. It is more important than ever that we pass Fair Tax to give
our state and especially our schools adequate funding without overtaxing
middle- and lower-income families.
There are post cards in the
office, with a list for your precinct, that you can send to those who voted
Democratic in the Primary Election. Just write a simple note—Thank you for
voting!
Finally, if you have not yet
turned in your list of Election Judge appointments, we must do that right away.
Even if you have just one or two judges to put on your list, please do that and
turn your list in at our office at 908 Curtiss, Downers Grove.
