City Government Committee
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Far Southwest Side Unit
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Environmental Action Committee
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact environment@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI)
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
League Holiday Party
Let's celebrate! Kick off the season at our holiday get-together for LWV Chicago members to eat, drink, and be merry. Join us to meet fellow Leaguers, toast all we have accomplished this year despite our Constitutional crisis, and look ahead to 2026.
We look forward to seeing you again—or meeting you in person for the first time!
Thanks for yet another great year, Leaguers.
Dress code is casual. Please RSVP below to let us know how many to expect.
Board Meeting
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Our Board meetings are open to all—contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Loop Unit
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Loop Unit: Safeguarding Refugee Rights in Difficult Times
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
IL Comptroller Candidate Forum
Illinoisans have a critical primary election ahead. Join our candidate forums for an opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent you and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most. All candidates registered for the 2026 Democratic primary in this race have been invited to attend. This event is free and open to the public.
This forum is hosted by Citizen Action/Illinois in partnership with other community organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
IL Congressional District 8 Candidate Forum
Illinoisans have a critical primary election ahead. Join our candidate forums for an opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent you and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most. All candidates registered for the 2026 Democratic primary in this race have been invited to attend. This event is free and open to the public.
This forum is hosted by Citizen Action/Illinois in partnership with other community organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
Board Meeting
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Our Board meetings are open to all—contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI)
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Environmental Action Committee
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact environment@lwvchicago.org for access info.
City Government Committee
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
IL Congressional District 7 Candidate Forum
Illinoisans have a critical primary election ahead. Join our candidate forums for an opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent you and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most. All candidates registered for the 2026 Democratic primary in this race have been invited to attend. This event is free and open to the public.
This forum is hosted by Citizen Action/Illinois in partnership with other community organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
Fair Elections Southwest Side Town Hall
Join Alds. Matt Martin, Julia Ramirez, and Mike Rodriguez, State Rep. Theresa Mah, and grassroots organizations for a town hall on the Chicago Fair Elections Ordinance—a small-dollar matching program that’ll increase participation in local elections, empowering regular people to run for office.
Chicago is currently the largest US city without publicly financed elections. This town hall is an opportunity to learn about the ordinance and discuss what Fair Elections would mean for you and your community.
RSVP is highly recommended but not required. Program begins at noon.
North Side Unit
All are welcome to join this North Side Unit meeting. Contact league@lwvchicago.org with any questions.
LWV Lake Michigan Region Annual Meeting and Conference
Learn about protecting Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes in the face of data centers and other challenges during the LWV Lake Michigan Region's annual conference. Get details and register.
All LWV Chicago members are automatically members of LWV LMR.
Far Southwest Side Unit
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
IL Congressional District 9 Candidate Forum
Illinoisans have a critical primary election ahead. Join our candidate forums for an opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent you and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most. All candidates registered for the 2026 Democratic primary in this race have been invited to attend. This event is free and open to the public.
This forum is hosted by Citizen Action/Illinois in partnership with other community organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
NO KINGS Rally & March
Nationwide NO KINGS protests are returning Saturday, October 18. We're rallying to support the Bill of Rights, oppose federal overreach, and reject cuts to essential services. This is the time to SHOW UP—and bring your friends, family, and neighbors with you.
Mark your calendars to join us for the Chicago rally at noon in Grant Park. RSVP.
The League of Women Voters will meet up beforehand at 11:30 am just outside Butler Field at the fire hydrant on the northeast corner of Columbus and Jackson—see you there!
The League of Women Voters is a national partner of this NO KINGS day of action.
Loop Unit: Environmental Justice in Chicago
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Board Meeting
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Our Board meetings are open to all—contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI)
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Know Your Rights & Protest Safety
As communities prepare for the upcoming NO KINGS protests, join us for a free webinar to learn how to protect your rights, stay safe while exercising free speech, and be prepared for peaceful civic action.
Featured Speaker
Wesam Shahed is a first-generation Palestinian-American from Chicago, Illinois. He serves as the Senior Legislative Counsel at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (he will not be speaking in his official capacity or on behalf of the AG Office for this event). Previously, he was a prosecutor and Policy Advisor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO), the second-largest in the U.S. Named among the Arab American Foundation’s “30 Under 30,” Wesam recently gave a TEDx Talk on criminal justice reform, “Does Justice Always Require a Conviction?”
He also served as Finance Director for the first Muslim and Palestinian American elected to the Illinois House Legislature in 2023 and has held executive roles with the ACLU of Illinois, the Arab American Bar Association, the Muslim Bar Association, the Arab Business Professional Association, and the AB Korkor Mental Health Foundation.
Environmental Action Committee
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact environment@lwvchicago.org for access info.
IL Congressional District 2 Candidate Forum
Illinoisans have a critical primary election ahead. Join our candidate forums for an opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent you and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most. All candidates registered for the 2026 Democratic primary in this race have been invited to attend. This event is free and open to the public.
This forum is hosted by Citizen Action/Illinois in partnership with other community organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
U.S. Senate Candidate Forum
Illinoisans have a critical primary election ahead. Join our candidate forums for an opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent you and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most. All candidates registered for the 2026 Democratic primary in this race have been invited to attend. This event is free and open to the public.
This forum is hosted by Citizen Action/Illinois in partnership with other community organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
City Government Committee
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
Far Southwest Side Unit
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Contact league@lwvchicago.org for access info.
North Side Unit
All are welcome to join this North Side Unit meeting. Contact league@lwvchicago.org with any questions.
Beach Cleanup: 71st Street/South Shore Beach
Join the League for a beach cleanup! Bring family and friends—kids are welcome. We'll meet up at the snack bar. Bring gloves and a bucket if you have them. Don't forget a hat and sunscreen. Parking is available in the South Shore Cultural Center's lot.
Registration is encouraged but not required. Register here.
Framing the Republic: How the U.S. Constitution Came to Be
Join the League of Women Voters of Chicago on Constitution Day for a special talk by John Engle, Vice President of LWV Chicago and its historian-in-residence.
A published historian and political theorist, John will explore the framing of the U.S. Constitution—its historical context, the people and political processes that crafted it, and how it shaped the early American republic. Drawing on his scholarship in history and political science, John will trace parallels between past and present, inviting reflection on how America’s founding charter continues to shape—and be tested by—our democracy today.
About the Speaker
John Engle is Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Chicago and its historian-in-residence. A published historian and political theorist, John is the author of Trinity Student Pranks (The History Press) and has contributed widely to journals and reviews. His historical writing includes essays on H.P. Lovecraft (Mythlore) and the Icelandic Commonwealth (Medievalists). His work in political theory spans topics from political speech American exceptionalism (Etcetera: A Review of General Semantics) to political consent theory (International Journal of Political Science and Development) and land rights (Georgist Journal). He is currently completing a forthcoming book on the decline and fall of the Roman Republic and the lessons it offers for the American republic today.
A lifelong debater, he was ranked first in Ireland, second in Europe, and fourth in the world. He has gone on to coach public speaking and debate for groups including civil servants at the UK Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, Oxford executive MBA candidates, and US elected officials and political candidates at the local, state, and national level.
John holds an MA in Philosophy and Economics from Trinity College Dublin, a BA and MBA from the University of Oxford, and a diploma from the London School of Economics. He was elected a member of the Royal Historical Society in 2023.
Working with Local Election Officials to Anchor Change
Local election officials are the lifeblood of our democracy. They power our elections and provide access to the polls for voters across the country. Since the last few election cycles, election officials have faced challenges from harassment at the polls to intimidation at the way they do their jobs. Many election officials have resigned and this brings about another challenge, a deficit in the way in which our elections function.
This webinar will share best practices on building relationships with local election officials. From experiences via voter services committees, to highlighting events that feature local election officials, this webinar will identify ways in which League leaders can get more engaged with local elections and the folks who administer them.
Chelsey Cartwright, Democracy Truth Project Manager will host a conversation with Andrea Miller of the Center for Common Ground, Monica Wills-Brown, Voter Services Vice President of the League of Women Voters Marrietta-Cobb County, and Charis Johnson, President of the League of Women Voters Atlanta-Fulton County along with local election officials in Cobb and Fulton County, Georgia that speaks to why local election officials should be protected and upheld by the will of the voters and the momentum of the movement.