Ways to Help

FairVote Illinois is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that advocates for ranked choice voting (RCV) in Illinois, with the hope of one day replacing our current winner-take-all elections with proportional and representative elections.

As a nonprofit organization, our greatest assets are supporters and volunteers like you. You may not realize it now, but even tiny actions can yield enormous impact for FairVote Illinois.

 

Wondering where to start?

Here's a few ideas:

 

  1. Sign the RCV Petition and share it with Illinoisans you believe would support RCV.

    Signing this petition helps us show lawmakers, from U.S. Senators to city council members, that Illinois is ready for RCV legislation. When you sign the petition, we'll email you guidance on how to best share the petition with friends and family. Add [email protected] to your contacts so you don't miss an email!

  2. Follow FairVote Illinois on social media.

    We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Over 3.6 billion people worldwide used social media in 2020, so there is no shortage of opportunities to spread awareness, promote ranked choice voting, and find people to help support the FairVote Illinois mission.
    Want to go the extra step? Post about your support on social media to help spread the word about RCV or watch “Easy ways to help us on social media” for more inspiration.

  3. Donate to FairVote Illinois.

    FairVote Illinois is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and nonpartisan organization. All donations are tax-deductible in full or in part. Donations of all sizes are welcome! Together we can do much more than any of us can do on our own. Keep in mind, $10,000 is only 400 gifts of $25! Check out our donation page to make a contribution.

  4. Volunteer a few hours of your time.

    There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available, and you can sign up to volunteer with FairVote Illinois here. Feel free to check out our events page to see what we're up to and to get more involved.

    If you are interested in staying up-to-date with what the FairVote Illinois teams are doing, ask us about the FairVote Illinois Slack channel. Send an email to [email protected].

  5. Develop a local FairVote Illinois chapter in your area.

    Help FairVote Illinois develop local chapters and college groups across Illinois. If you are interested in starting a local chapter near you, contact [email protected].

  6. Help spread the word about RCV and FairVote Illinois.

    One of the biggest ways to support FairVote Illinois is to help spread the word about ranked choice voting to family and friends. You can do this in a variety of ways, such as hanging up FairVote Illinois flyers around your community to teach others about RCV and explaining it to family and friends using talking points from our canvassing script. 

    Every two weeks, we have an Outreach to Friends and Family phone bank where we teach you how to have these conversations and work together to recruit people you know to join us. Sign up on our events page. 

  7. Write a letter to the editor.

    Editorial boards at local newspapers track the subjects of letters they receive. Finding a relevant political article (i.e. related to voting or politics in Illinois) and submitting a short response that discusses RCV gets their attention, even if they don't publish your letter.

    Visit our events page for upcoming how-to webinars or email [email protected] for more information. 

  8. Contact your city council.

    How do municipalities across Illinois adopt ranked choice voting?  It starts with volunteers letting their council members know they want it for their city.  You can give public comment at your next city council meeting or request a one-on-one meeting with your council member to introduce the idea of RCV.  For guidance, reach out to [email protected].

  9. Purchase FairVote Illinois merch.

    Show your support by purchasing an item or two from our newly-opened FairVote Illinois merchandise store, with 100% of proceeds benefiting FairVote Illinois efforts to further the cause of electoral reform.