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Chicago News Weekly presents a Special Edition of “A System That Has Settled, But Has Not Stopped Changing.”
Vote-by-mail has become routine. But routine does not always mean accessible.

This enhanced edition gives the story the space it deserves, looking at what Chicago’s vote-by-mail data reveals, why postmark timing still matters, and what happens when seniors, disabled voters, homebound residents and others must work harder to make sure their ballots are counted.

Because access to the ballot should not depend on mobility, transportation, timing or knowing how to navigate a system most voters never see.

This Special Edition was produced through the Healing Illinois: Democracy Lives Here Reporting Project with Medill, Northwestern University.

Healing Illinois, an Illinois Department of Public Health initiative managed with The Field Foundation of Illinois, supports storytelling and community collaborations to address racial and systemic inequities across the state.

Read now at cnwmedia.com/e-editions.
#ChicagoNewsWeekly #CNWMedia #VoteByMail #DemocracyLivesHere #HealingIllinois #Medill #NorthwesternUniversity #ElectionAccess #VotingRights #BlackPress

“Vote-by-mail did not begin as a pandemic-era workaround. Its roots stretch back to the Civil War, when absentee voting was first introduced to allow soldiers to cast ballots while away from home. Over time, what began as a limited accommodation evolved into a central part of American election administration.

“Today, vote-by-mail is a system now used by roughly one in three voters nationwide. However, a quiet but consequential shift inside the United States Postal Service is reshaping how time is measured in the voting process—and raising new questions about whether election systems have kept pace with how mail actually moves.

“Older Americans are among the most consistent voters in the country, with turnout rates exceeding 70 percent in recent national elections, and many rely on vote-by-mail because of age, mobility, disability, transportation, caregiving needs or health-related barriers.
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“But adjustments to postal service transportation operations may now result in … the date on the postmark not necessarily matching the date on which the mail piece was collected. In practical terms, that creates a gap between voter action and system recognition—a gap that voters cannot see and cannot control …. “

Continue reading the @chicagonewsweekly story here:
https://lnkd.in/gghexCKF

This story is part of the Healing Illinois 2026 Reporting Project, “Democracy Lives Here,” managed by the @medillschool @solutionsjournalism Hub, and made possible by a grant from @healingillinois, a racial and community initiative from the @ilhumanservices in partnership with the @fieldfoundation.

#journalism #storytelling #communitypowerbuilding #chicagonewsweekly

A new solutions journalism reporting collaboration just launched and continues throughout May, bringing together five Illinois newsrooms — Capitol News Illinois, Chicago News Weekly, The Harvey World Herald, Illinois Latino News and WGLT — to examine how democracy actually works in practice and what people are doing to make it work better.

These reports are part of Healing Illinois: Democracy Lives Here Journalism & Storytelling Reporting Project, led by the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub and supported by the Field Foundation of Illinois. Healing Illinois is an initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services that funds storytelling and community collaborations to address racial and systemic inequities across the state.

Stories are rolling out across the five newsrooms all month long, sharing a through-line that defines solutions journalism: rigorous reporting on responses to social problems, with evidence of what is working, what is not and why.

The Healing Illinois: Democracy Lives Here Journalism & Storytelling Reporting Project is rolling out across Illinois throughout May. This statewide collaboration led by the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub at Northwestern University and supported by the Field Foundation of Illinois is an initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services.

One project. Five newsrooms. All month long. A statewide look at the everyday work of democracy — the organizing, the access questions, the local know-how and the people quietly keeping the system honest.

We’re excited to share today’s launch of the Healing Illinois 2026 Reporting Project, “Democracy Lives Here,” made possible by a grant from @healingillinois, a racial and community healing initiative from the @ilhumanservices in partnership with the @fieldfoundation. Managed by the @medillschool @solutionsjournalism Hub, five Illinois news outlets —@capitolnewsillinois, @chicagonewsweekly, @harveyworldherald, @il_latinonews, @wgltnews — produced hard-hitting news coverage on how democracy actually works in practice, who it works for, and what people are doing to make it work better within and among the state’s diverse communities, with the goal of engaging and bringing neighbors together. The five news stories published today (see below for links).

Congratulations to the Medill School Solutions Journalism Hub — and all the participating news outlets for producing this important body of work, which aspires to spark dialogue and connect people in driving toward positive change. This is community journalism at its best.

See below for a link to the stories and be part of this important conversation.

Capitol News Illinois
https://lnkd.in/gga4r3EE

Chicago News Weekly
https://lnkd.in/gghexCKF

Harvey World Herald
https://lnkd.in/gaqjbNhW

Illinois Latino News
https://lnkd.in/eu2mDYij

WGLT (NPR Network)
https://lnkd.in/gs2kN8BP

#journalism #storytelling #communitypowerbuilding

“No one calls a poet a dirty word. No one calls a novelist a dirty word. I’m a writer and it’s just that my medium is rapping.”
— @femdotdotcom

Chicago’s hip-hop scene has a safe haven in @femdotdotcom. He studies the craft. He teaches the art. And he is building the community. We should be all there to witness it.

Check out the latest Chicago News Weekly cover story: Femdot: The Ethos.

Cover Writer: @lauramillerpens
Art Direction @paulmainor
Editor in Chief @kaiel9z
Photography @slvh___

Read now at cnwmedia.com/e-editions

a city that never slows down, peace is a choice. This week’s cover story with @gojackiejackson explores the power of finding balance in the middle of it all.

Read CNW’s latest cover story, written by Kai El Zabar.
www.cnwmedia.com/e-editions

#ChicagoNewsWeekly #CNW #BlackChicago

Read CNW’s latest cover story at cnwmedia.com/e-editions.
She built the business.
She built the legacy.
But the real story? It was never just about the money.
This week’s cover story follows @gojackiejackson —entrepreneur, author, and visionary—as she breaks down the difference between chasing success and walking in purpose.

Written by @kaiel9z (Kai EL Zabar) .

Just in time for #WorldBookDay—a global celebration of books, authors, and the power of storytelling—this issue arrives with a new cover and a new chapter worth reading.

Masters of the Mic left no CRUMBS last night @blacksheepdres @treachtribe @mclyte @officialbigdaddykane &@therealdougefresh all showed fans why Hip-Hop at 50’s never looked so good at the @auditoriumtheatre .

🎥@thedjshonuff

Our forever cover girl, @dawnfromchicago and @mrelerfordtvare doing something amazing for teen girls at the Ritz Carlton this Sunday! She's looking for vendors, volunteers and more! It's not too late to get involved!

You can learn more about this powerful conversation and episode of CNW's Chicago State of Mind hosted by @cherylnmainor on Youtube https://youtu.be/ymRT4Cbymno?si=VonseEaQcgzRBAGp Production and Imagery by CaveRoom Entertainment

Parents , Councilmembers, and Parents unify to deter teen takeovers. @the_sensei_of_chicago .

🎥@cherylmainor