The City of Chicago’s board of election commissioners Friday filed their response to an ongoing voting rights lawsuit filed by territorial residents. The suit is challenging laws that gives some overseas citizens and military members the ability to participate in federal elections, while others cannot. Neil Weare, an attorney in the case, said the case is also part of a broader effort to raise awareness about the issue of voting rights in the U.S. territories. Weare is a former Guam resident. Six former Illinois residents, all now living in Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, filed the case in Illinois’ federal court.
They are challenging provisions of federal and Illinois law, saying the laws unjustly bar them from participating in elections.
On Friday, Chicago’s board of election commissioners, which has election authority over the city, responded.
The board refrained from making any legal arguments in its first response, only narrowly responding to the lawsuit’s terms.
Full Article: Chicago responds to territory voting rights dispute.