The idea of “sanctuary cities”–local governments that have made it policy not to coordinate their activities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)–has been in the news a lot lately. While national officials argue that the sanctuary city approach leads to more crime, this is an example of an argument dissociated from the facts of Read More…
Chicago Votes, NUVotes
Election Day is Tuesday, but the 2018 Illinois primaries are already on! Early voting is the hot way to beat the lines. We’re the Chicago Democracy Project @Northwestern Political Science, so we try to spur civic engagement among our students and colleagues here at NU. Our partners at NUVotes, from the Center for Civic Engagement Read More…
Rent Control and Neighborhood Change in 3 Maps
When Chicagoans go to the ballot box next week, some of us will have an extra line on the ballot asking: “Should the state repeal the ban on rent control?” The measure is advanced by the grassroots Lift the Ban coalition (photo credit to their website). Let’s take a look at the features of this Read More…
This week! Register, Vote, and Run.
Next month, Illinois voters will head to the polls to nominate candidates for the general elections in November. This week we will provide analyses of some of the issues and candidates that will be on the ballot on March 20. 2018 promises to be a big year for public engagement and electoral participation specifically, and Read More…
Save the Dream, Don’t End It.
As the clock ticks down to permanently ending DACA, the odds that Congress and the White House will find a resolution before the March 5th deadline appears to be growing slimmer. Jaime Dominguez, CDP Co-Director and Northwestern political scientist, weighs in on the politics of immigration for Latino Policy Forum here. Most polls show support Read More…
Rep. Luis Gutierrez Will Not Seek Re-election: Is This a Seismic Shift in Chicago’s Latino Politics?
Last week, Representative Luis Gutierrez (a long-time incumbent from the Chicago delegation to Congress) announced that he will not seek re-election. Chicago Democracy Project’s Jaime Dominguez weighs in on what this will mean for Chicago’s political scene, from the streets to the Hill. http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/364038-rep-gutierrezs-departure-is-a-the-seismic-shift-in-chicagos-latino-politics
Election Day 2017
The first Tuesday in November is a big day for American democracy. Chicago doesn’t have an election this time around, but big issues and elections are on the ballot in other municipalities around the country, including New York City. Local elections are vital for democracy: they help us select the vast majority of officials who Read More…
Announcing the Chicago Democracy Project…the Remix
Friends, neighbors, Chicagoans, and city-zens everywhere: we are pleased to announce the launch of the Chicago Democracy Project (CDP) at Northwestern University Political Science. Through a collaboration between Northwestern researchers and members of all of our communities, the CDP seeks to bring together the best elements of rigorous scholarship with committed membership to achieve policy goals Read More…
Examining the 2016 Latino Vote in Illinois
Last March, anti-Trump protestors forced the cancellation of a campaign rally that Donald Trump had planned at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The group that organized the protest was primarily composed of young Black and Latino as well as immigrant rights activists. Trump would later blame the cancellation on ‘loosely organized…thugs.’ But, given his Read More…
Presidential Recap: The Chicago Results
The 2016 election season was unprecedented, to say the least. The tone of debate, and some of the ideas being expressed by one candidate in particular—especially doubts about the value of democracy itself—make this year seem like a radical departure from what has come before. In other ways, though, the actual results of this election Read More…