It’s about breaking down barriers that people impacted by the legal system face when engaging civically –and young people are a large chunk of this population.
Organizin’ in Court, Jail, and Prison.
Unlock Civics Origin Story
In the fall of 2017, Chicago Votes was asked to be the official sponsor of election activities in the Cook County Jail (CCJ). What started as a voter registration drive once a month, has expanded to include in-person election coordination, civic education, local administrative advocacy, and statewide legislative advocacy.
What started out as the Chicago Votes’ CCJ Votes initiative has evolved into our Unlock Civics initiative. Our Unlock Civics initiative encompasses our CCJ Votes initiative, Civics in Prison, and Voting in Prison legislative efforts, all of which work at the intersection of organizing and advocacy to ensure that people impacted by the American legal system know their civic rights and responsibilities.
The goal is simple, increase access to the ballot and civic knowledge for Illinois’ incarcerated population. CCJ is one of the largest single-site county pre-detention facilities in the United States, admitting approximately 100,000 people annually and averaging a daily population of 5,000 people. While over 90% of people incarcerated in this facility have the right to vote, many eligible voters do not know they are able to vote and are missing out on their opportunity to participate.
Our programs operate in courtrooms, jails, prisons, and juvenile detention facilities. Through Unlock Civics, our team has protected voting rights for voters detained at Cook County Jail, gathered data on judges, and provided paid leadership development opportunities for current and formerly incarcerated individuals. The Unlock Civics Initiative bridges democracy with the American legal system by expanding voting rights for incarcerated individuals and providing civic education.
Cook County Jail Votes
Chicago Votes has been coordinating voter registration drives in the Cook County Jail since September 2017 registering over 11,000 new voters. Individuals inside the jail actively pushed for in-person voting while we conducted voter registration. We listened, and expanded the program! Initially, CCJ operated exclusively as a vote-by-mail program. Over time, it evolved to include in-person voting, culminating in the passage of our 2019 bill SB2090 that officially established the jail as a polling location. As a result, CCJ became the first jail-based polling place in the United States.
Civics in Prison
Unlock Civics focuses on civic education for incarcerated individuals and legislative advocacy, working to expand access to the ballot and civic knowledge. In 2019, Chicago Votes helped pass HB 2541, the Re-entry Civics Education Act, mandating that every person leaving Illinois prisons complete three 90-minute civics classes. The curriculum covers voting rights history, sample voter registration, and civic responsibilities. In 2021, the law expanded to include the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. The classes have expanded to 30 prisons and workshops are led by trained incarcerated peer educators, with support from Chicago Votes, The Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, DePaul University, and formerly incarcerated educators.
Judicial Accountability
Our Court Watching program promotes judicial accountability by inviting community members to observe and document court proceedings. This initiative plays a crucial role in identifying biases and misconduct within the judicial system.
This work has helped strengthen our network of informed court watchers who track the impact of judges. In collaboration with The Illinois Alliance for ReEntry and Justice, we created a zine comparing all criminal court judges, highlighting disparities in sentencing and taxpayer costs. Court watching allows us to analyze which judges impose the harshest sentences and contribute to systemic inequities.
2025 Voting In Prison
There is growing consensus among Illinois residents, advocates, and lawmakers—it is time to restore voting rights to the 35,000 people serving sentences currently in prison. We continue our work to pass the RACE ACT, which will restore voting rights to people in prison and expand civics courses prior to being released. We passed voting in jail in 2019 for individuals inside jails, and now we are working to extend voting rights to people in prisons.
As policies impacting the lives of people in prison are shaped by elected officials, it is essential for incarcerated individuals to have a vote in the political process. While people in prison pay taxes and are counted in the census as part of their legislative districts, their inability to vote denies people a fundamental say in our democracy.
By amplifying the voices of people impacted by the legal system, we have a unique opportunity to drive meaningful reform in Illinois, advance democracy, and become the first state to restore voting rights to people serving prison sentences.
Our work in Cook County Jail has inspired organizations and jails across the country to adopt our framework.
Voting In Jail
A Fundamental Issue of Democracy
Initially, CCJ operated exclusively as a vote-by-mail program. Over time, it evolved to include in-person voting, culminating in the passage of our 2019 bill SB2090 that officially established the jail as a polling location. As a result, CCJ became the first jail-based polling place in the United States. By 2020, for the first time, individuals at CCJ were able to cast their ballots using a voting machine, just like at any other in-person polling site.
The chart highlights the surge in voter participation since 2020, emphasizing the urgent need for similar legislation nationwide to expand voting access in jails. Our advocacy came full circle with our 2014 victory in passing Same Day Voter Registration, which has been crucial within the jail, ensuring that any eligible voter can register and vote on the same day. Guaranteeing voting access for individuals in pretrial detention is a fundamental issue of democracy.
