RIOBY Matters, Too!

1/10/24

It’s 2024, and we’ve made it through another turbulent year. With 2023 firmly behind us, thoughts and energy are shifting to the 2024 General Election. Regardless of your political ideology, the stakes for Americans are high, and keeping a watchful eye on Primary results as we head toward November is prudent. 

But it is equally prudent to keep a watchful eye on what is happening RIOBY—Right In Our Backyards!

Reflecting on LWVIL’s advocacy initiatives for 2023, we are struck by the number of important matters our state and local Leagues worked on and continue to monitor: 

• The city of Evanston passed regulations authorizing use of ranked choice voting in their local elections.

• At least two cities (Danville and Quincy) passed or entertained passing so-called “sanctuary city for the unborn” regulations aimed at restricting legal reproductive rights in Illinois.

• According to American Library Association data, between January and August of 2023 alone, some 22 different attempts were made to ban books in Illinois, including 98 different titles.

• At the 2023 annual meeting of the Illinois Association of School Boards in November, the group voted to support a resolution to fund school resource officers (SROs).

• Thousands of migrants legally seeking asylum arrived in cities across Illinois.

Whether you favor or oppose these policies, as with all actions, the devil is in the details. And that’s the point. While it is our mission to make sure that Illinois citizens have access to the polls and stay engaged in the politics of democracy, we ought not abandon our attention on what’s happening RIOBY.

Do you know what your local governmental agencies have planned? Stay vigilant. Stay active. The League is here to help. Email us at issues@lwvil.orgwith questions or to get involved.