League of Women Voters of Cook County

Join Us

All members of the 12 Local Leagues in Cook County are members of the Cook County League. You can join are efforts to make Cook County government more transparent and effective by joining a Local League (See our About Page for membership information.)

ACTION ALERT

What you can do if you observe ICE agents or suspect ICE presence in Cook County

Remain calm, safe and observant. If you see federal agents in the area, note time, location, number of agents, vehicle(s), license plates, demeanor — but do so without putting yourself or others at risk.
Know your rights. Regardless of immigration status, you have rights when confronted by immigration agents. You do not have to answer questions about your status, you have the right to speak with a lawyer, and you have the right to refuse to open your door for ICE unless they present a valid judicial warrant.
Contact rapid-response resources immediately. Call the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) at 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY (1-855-435-7693). See their website for more information.
Connect with legal aid: Support or donate to local immigration legal aid services.
Contact elected officials: Urge your local and federal representatives to take action and oppose raids.
Inform the media: Alert local news outlets about raids in your community.
To make a report about missing, damaged, or obstructed license plates on ICE vehicles, call the Secretary of State’s Plate Watch Hotline at (312) 814-1730 or email [email protected].

League of Women Voters of the United States on Due Process

As a nonpartisan, pro-democracy organization, the League is deeply alarmed by the ongoing ICE detentions, which too often fly in the face of due process and other fundamental rights.
These actions undermine the democratic values of fairness, equal treatment under the law, and government transparency and accountability.
The League supports due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal, and right to humane treatment.

League of Women Voters of the United States on the Value of Immigrants

Immigrants are part of the fabric of our communities — they make our country strong.
Immigrants are your neighbors, co-workers, and fellow community members.
All immigrants in our country deserve due process and fair treatment.
The League does not support deporting undocumented immigrants who have no history of major and/or violent criminal activity.

The 2026 Election cycle is starting.

August 5 is the first day to circulate petitions for candidates.

See the Voter Info page for more information.

The Next Election Is the Primary on March 17, 2026

What Petitions Can You Sign?
Candidates were able to start circulating nominating petitions on August 5 to get sufficient signatures to appear on the March 17 ballot. Those petitions may be filed from Oct. 27 thru Nov. 3. Here is some information as to what and how many petitions any voter may sign:

A voter MAY sign only if they are registered to vote at an address in the district for the office the proposed candidate is seeking
A voter MAY NOT sign for candidates for office in more than one party
A voter who took a ballot in the last Primary for one party MAY sign petitions for candidates in a different party for this Primary election
A voter MAY sign for as many candidates they wish within the same party, even if for the same office
Source: The 2026 Candidate’s Guide issued by the Illinois State Board of Elections as amended on August 5 2025, pp. 76-77. You can get this and other Election Guides HERE.

Food for Thought Summer Lunch and Program

August 8, 2025

Focus on the Public Health Department in Cook County

Speaker: Dr. Kiran Joshi, Chief Operating Officer,
Cook County Department of Public Health

Moderator: Susan Avila

Dr. Kiran Joshi, Chief Operating Officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health, was the featured speaker at the Cook County League’s 2025 Food for Thought event on August 8. Dr. Joshi covered a number of topics in response to questions posed by League moderator Susan Avila and members of the audience. One theme that came through was that Dr. Joshi sees the need to address societal issues in order to improve public health.

Dr. Joshi gave an example of how red-lining decades ago led to segregation and in turn led to areas of greater pollution, reduced safety, and fewer places for outdoor play. All these results have a great impact on public health in those areas. So public health departments must work in partnership with those addressing societal issues. Related to this is recognizing the need to address behavioral health needs. Dr. Joshi cited looking at upstream factors, such as what support schools provide, contrasting strict discipline with discipline with compassion, and how that can impact behavioral health.

The Department of Public Health also deals with keeping track of and providing vaccines for communicable diseases, such as measles and Covid 19. The Department does contact tracing and will provide support as necessary so people can isolate. The Department also is responsible for inspecting food establishments and is empowered to shut establishments down if necessary for health reasons. However, Dr. Joshi explained that the Department tries to work with food establishments to get compliance, rather than having to shut them down.

Dr. Joshi said that over the last few years there has been a new emphasis on increasing public health preparedness: how to quickly set up the necessary administrative functions and obtain money to deal with outbreaks of communicable diseases, for example.

The Cook County Department of Public Health covers most of Suburban Cook County. Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie, and Stickney Township, along with Chicago, each have their own public health departments.

To learn more about the Department, check out its Website.

Cook County Government and You

The League of Women Voters of Cook County was formed in 1920 with the purpose of focusing on our government entities in Cook County which impact the daily lives of residents.

Suburban Election Administration Birth and Marriage Records

Stroger and Provident Hospitals Property Records

Local Health Centers Court System

Property Taxes Cook County Jail
Forest Preserves

See our Resources Page for contact information for Cook County officials.

Cook County League Newsletter

September 2025 Edition

For recent issues of the newsletter, click here.