Op-Ed: Voter Suppression Must Be Stopped

The eradication of hate, bigotry, discrimination, and racism is a cornerstone of my time as an elected official. An incident I recently witnessed has reinforced the great need for this continuing work in our communities. 

While passing out election materials at Glenview Village Hall, I saw a woman, who was wearing a hijab as an outward sign of her Islamic faith, with her two children. She was excited to vote in the primary election and show her children the importance of participating in our democratic process. 

Approaching the entrance to the polling place, a man intentionally shoved her. She was caused to stumble but fortunately did not sustain an injury. 

Having witnessed this assault, I confronted the man for his clearly inappropriate actions until he agreed to leave the site. When the woman returned with her children after voting, she shared her distress about this incident, but that it was not an unusual occurrence for her as a Muslim woman in Cook County. Still, she was not dissuaded from continuing to exercise her rights as an American citizen.  

I have been in contact with both the Glenview Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to further investigate this matter as a potential hate crime. 

Her commitment to our electoral process is exactly what makes our democracy so powerful. Everyone's voice matters equally at the ballot box.  

The fact that this could happen should not be surprising, considering the level of racist discourse that comes our way from the President of the United States. The federal Administration is doing everything they can – within and outside their power – to make people feel like their vote does not have impact, and to make the barriers to voting so large that it no longer feels like the election results are worth the effort.  

The SAVE Act currently being forced through Congress will damage our democracy by disenfranchising all voters, and disproportionately minorities, the working class, and women.  

It is voter suppression to create a redundant requirement for in-person documented proof of citizenship when over 21 million Americans do not have ready access to these documents. About 69 million American married women do not have a birth certificate with their married legal name on it and working-class citizens are four to five times less likely to have a passport. It is chilling when you learn that in the 2022 cycle, of the over 80 million Americans who registered to vote or updated their voter registration, less than 6% did so in person.  

In Cook County, we are expanding opportunities to vote. I led the effort to triple the number of languages in which our ballots are available (the VOTE Ordinance). We have same-day voter registration, a month-long early voting period, mail-in ballots, and expansive polling locations.  

 Last week, I witnessed perseverance in the face of discrimination, and the exercise of democratic rights in the face of hate. We must stand with those on the front lines fighting against voter suppression and civil rights violations, for history shows us that the suppression of rights eventually comes for us all. 

Cook County United Against Hate supports communities in pushing back against bigotry and hateful incidents. Our 90 partners are committed to building awareness and creating welcoming spaces. We are using County resources to investigate, educate, and prosecute hate crimes.  

I am committed to raise up these issues until hate has no home in Cook County. I hope all people of good will can join me by signing the pledge against hate at: www.CookCountyUnitedAgainstHate.com.