In firm news, Ken Levinson is partnering with the American Association for Justice to volunteer in its Voter Protection Action Committee.

AAJ is an organization working to bring advocacy, education, and a community mindset to trial lawyers working toward justice, and promotes fairness for injured victims while safeguarding their rights–especially their right to a trial by jury.

Within the Voter Protection Action Committee, AAJ works with state and national organizations to find law students, paralegals, and lawyers who can act as poll monitors, poll workers, call center volunteers, and more in order to protect Americans’ right to vote.

“I’m involved in the Voter Protection Action Committee in order to make sure that our democracy stays strong and that people get out and vote,” said Levinson. “We believe that our jobs lawyers goes beyond just helping clients.”

Levinson has been working throughout the month of October to help get people registered to vote in time for the election on November 3rd.

“Working with clients is a big part of [our job], but it’s also about helping the community, our system of laws, and our government and democracy,” Levinson explained. “Lawyers need to do their part. And this is one of the things we [at the firm] do.”

AAJ’s Voter Protection Action Committee was officially established in 2010, and throughout 2020, nearly 1,200 trial lawyers have volunteered to boost and protect voters’ rights. During 2018’s voting cycle, the trial lawyer community helped to protect votes in 29 different states.

To do their part in protecting our democracy, trial lawyers, through the VPAC, have volunteered as poll workers, poll monitors, and call center volunteers; they have worked on-call to travel to battleground states when needed; they’ve volunteered to check voters’ registrations and have helped register people to vote across the country; they’ve helped voters request absentee and mail-in ballots; and they’ve helped review state-specific voter information to make the process as easy as possible.

“People rely on lawyers to protect their rights every day, their right to trial by jury, and the right to bring a lawsuit when they are injured,” said Jackalyn A. Olinger Rochelle, a VPAC volunteer out of St. Louis, Missouri. “The right to vote is no different. We have a duty and a fundamental obligation to protect the right to vote.”

Chicago Vote — Original image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

If you’re a Chicagoan, it’s time to vote. On Tuesday, February 24, Chicago polls open starting at 6am for the mayoral and aldermanic elections of 2015. There’s no denying the importance of your contribution in this election. Your vote will help determine the next four years of Chicago policy and several matters of long-term importance: pension reform, minimum wage, the future of Chicago Public Schools, and even snow removal.

Use these helpful resources to find your polling place and brush up on editorial endorsements. We even have a Twitter handle in the mix, so learning about the candidates and polling information is easy as can be.

BetterGov.org
This handy resources gives you a quick, poignant snapshot of Chicago mayoral candidates and their stances on hot button issues like public education, the Chicago police and fire departments, plus answers to more complicated questions with written responses from the candidates. For the most important vote of the day, BetterGov.org is equipped to help undecided voters make a more informed decision.

The Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners
The Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners offers a user-friendly portal to help you verify your voter registration, locate your polling place, obtain sample ballots and find contact information for public officials. Get a list of all local polling places by ward and precinct to find out where you’ll need to be on Election Day. The commissioner’s site also provides handy answers to FAQs, including what to do if you’ve accidentally made a mistake on your ballot. Polling places are beginning to adjust to more digitally friendly ways of gathering votes, so if you’re accustomed to the traditional paper ballot, this might be the time to brush up on what to expect come Tuesday by using the board’s instructional PDF on how to cast your vote with pen and paper or a swipe of the screen.

Chicago Tribune
The Midwest’s largest newspaper conducts mayoral and aldermanic surveys, led by its editorial board, serving as the basis for the Tribune’s endorsement process. Every candidate is accounted for, with survey answers in their own words. You can read candidates’ responses to the editorial board’s questions on City Hall spending and answers to the Tribune’s “Plan of Chicago,” a 12-step blueprint of action culled together by more than 1,000 ideas submitted by readers. The Tribune has made endorsements for each respective race, so this is your opportunity to see how the city’s most influential paper is making its calls.

DNAinfo.com
Chicago’s Aldermanic races often take a back seat to the higher profile mayor’s race, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Your alderman, after all, is the middle-person between you and the higher-ups at City Hall. Take a look at DNAinfo, one of the best (if not THE best) source for hyper-targeted local news, brought to you by reporters with a dedicated beat on neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Humboldt Park, the Loop, South Chicago, etc. Scan for election-day updates and brush up on your neighborhood’s local highlights in time for Tuesday.

@GregHinz
Here’s our sleeper pick. If you happen to be a Twitter user, you’ll want to follow Crain’s Chicago Business political writer and blogger. Hinz is arguably the foremost critic on Chicago politics. We have no doubt he’ll be tweeting out some interesting information and follow up on the biggest day in local politics.

Happy voting, Chicago!

Levinson Volunteers with VPAC to Help Protect Voters

Election Day 2015: Don’t Forget to Vote