A pair of Chicago political analysts and a civil rights attorney offered insights on the 2020 elections, the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, and the push for racial equity at the July 22 virtual meeting of JUF’s Government Affairs Committee.

Over 100 people tuned in via Zoom to hear political commentators Lynn Sweet, the Washington bureau chief for the Chicago Sun-Times and Greg Hinz, a blogger and columnist with Crain’s Chicago Business , along with Ami Gandhi, a senior counsel at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. The call was led by Judy Smith, vice-chair of Federal Government Affairs for the committee.

Sweet provided an inside look at what’s happening in Washington as Congress works to rollout another COVID-19 relief package and complete appropriations for FY 2021, all against the backdrop of the upcoming November presidential and congressional elections. As the Senate Republicans and Democrats continue to work out an agreement on the latest COVID-19 relief package, lawmakers are also negotiating with the White House. Congress is under a tight deadline to pass this next relief package as workers, nonprofits and businesses, hospitals, states and municipalities, and others are facing yet another month of challenges as a result of this pandemic. Congress has its sights on the August recess, but this year it will be during the Republican and Democratic conventions, which will be mostly virtual. The conventions that will affirm major policy platforms for both parties could have an impact on congressional activity when they return in September. Asked about the possibility of substantive legislation getting passed before Congress adjourns for the year, Sweet noted that the closer we get to the election, the chance of passing any legislation that favors one side or the other grows dimmer.

Hinz began by assessing Governor Pritzker’s and Mayor Lightfoot’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the many unknowns that make it almost impossible to predict how anything will play out electorally, and in terms of public policy and both budgets. Hinz opined that while Illinois has fared better than the South and the West, economic recovery won’t occur until people feel safe to go out again and tourism returns to Chicago. Hinz predicted that the state may very well find itself in a position where we have to raise taxes and cut services, and the same applies for a potential and highly unpopular Chicago property tax hike. While we are contending with the pandemic and huge holes in both the state and Chicago budgets, Hinz recognized that the accompanying explosion in social justice activism was necessary.

Although Hinz has not yet seen much out of Springfield addressing social justice and police accountability, he did highlight an upcoming resolution the Cook County Board will entertain on July 27. The resolution will address the Cook County police and jail and propose redirecting some of the funds to alternative programs designed to support the community and assist in economic development. However, noting the recent spike in the murder rate over the past several weeks, Hinz remarked that the vote is likely to be highly contentious. Regarding the November election, Hinz predicts that record numbers of early voters will force candidate campaigns to peak by mid-October. On a lighter note, Hinz anticipates a Chicago Bears season, albeit one that doesn’t include fans in the stadium.

Gandhi’s organization, the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, works to reduce barriers to voting and improve civic participation, especially in communities of color and low-income communities, as well as for persons with disabilities, pre-trial detainees, and newly eligible voters.

In order to have free and fair elections, Gandhi remarked that as a society we must listen to the needs of the hardest-hit communities, including whether or not they have proper access to polling places. Her organization runs a non-partisan Illinois election protection hotline. During the March primary, a significant percentage of calls her organization received came from voters whose polling places were closed down.

While Gandhi applauded the recently passed Illinois vote-by-mail enhancements for the November election, she explained that it is not a viable solution for all voters and pointed to statistics that only 11% of black voters utilized vote-by-mail during the 2018 mid-terms, while 24% of whites voted by mail in the same election. Gandhi was confident that proper precautions will be undertaken by Illinois election authorities for safe vote-by-mail and recommended that voters experiencing access issues before the election or on election day contact the Lawyers’ Committee hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Gandhi reminded GAC meeting participants that even if they voted in a prior election by mail, they must make a new request to receive a mail-in ballot for the upcoming election.

“All three speakers were terrific,” said Judy Smith, JUF Government Affairs Committee Vice Chair for Federal Government Affairs. “While their messages weren’t particularly optimistic, I am heartened by the number of people who were on the call and were engaged in the issues. The more we know, the more effective citizens we are. I hope even more people join us the next time we gather.”