The Chicago Council of Lawyers joined community organizations from across Chicago at the 2026 Election Protection Festival on Saturday, September 26, at Jarvis Square.
The community event brought together organizations working in election protection, voter registration, civic engagement, immigrant and refugee rights, and voter education, giving Chicagoans an opportunity to learn more about the upcoming election and ways to get involved.
David Melton, Acting Executive Director, represented CCL at the festival, speaking with attendees about the importance of the judiciary, how Cook County judicial elections work, and why judicial races deserve voters’ attention. CCL also distributed the General Election Judicial Ratings, helping attendees access evaluations of the judicial candidates and judges who will appear on the November ballot.
Early Voting Begins Today
While the festival was over the weekend, early voting begins today, October 1, at two downtown locations:
- Chicago Board of Elections Downtown Voting Supersite, 137 S. State St.
- Chicago Board of Elections office, located at 69 W. Washington St. on the 6th floor.
Early voting will expand to sites across all 50 Chicago wards beginning October 19. Visit ChicagoElections.gov for additional information.
Get Informed Before You Vote
Judicial races can be among the least familiar parts of the ballot, making accessible information about judicial candidates especially important as voting gets underway.
VoteForJudges.org provides nonpartisan judicial voter education for Cook County voters, including the latest 2026 General Election judicial ratings from members of the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening.
Before casting your ballot, visit VoteForJudges.org to learn more about the judicial candidates on the ballot and access the 2026 judicial ratings. Click here
