New Maywood candy shop sells sweet nostalgia, PAGE 9
The basics of voting, especially by mail
Vol. IV No. 36
SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
theVillageFreePress.org
Maywood grants zoning requests for old Baptist Retirement Home, PAGE 3
TREATS AND OUTREACH: Shemika Morris and her daughter London Smith, both of Maywood, stop by for free ice cream sandwiches during a census outreach event in the village on Saturday, Aug. 29.
What to do, what you’ll need, and who to contact By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The Nov. 3 Presidential Election will be an unprecedented election in U.S. history, with many people forced to rely on mail-in voting to cast their ballots just as the U.S. Postal Service is being pushed into a state of disarray by the Trump administration. Here is some basic information about voting by mail that may ease some of those concerns:
How do I register to vote? You can register to vote online, in person or through the mail. The deadline for registering in person and through the mail is Oct. 6. The deadline for online registration is Oct. 18. You can also register to vote on Election Day, but only at your home precinct, which is the place where you’re assigned to vote based on your residency.
But what about voting by mail? You can register to vote by mail by going online to the Cook County Clerk’s website at cookcountyclerk.com/agency/vote-mail. All you need is your driver’s license, state ID and/or the last four digits of your Social Security number; the address where you want your ballot mailed; and your email address. If you don’t have access to the internet, you may request a mail ballot by emailing mail.voting@cookcountyil.gov or by calling 312-603-0946. Once you complete your vote-by-mail application, you should receive an official mail ballot “no more than 40 days and no less than 30 days before the election,” according to the Cook County Clerk’s See VOTING on page 7
Shanel Romain
Welch to push for contracting diversity bill in veto session
Legislation would give minority- and women-owned businesses larger share of estimated $20B in annual state purchasing and contracting dollars By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch said Thursday that he will demand passage of legislation in the upcoming fall veto session to give minorityand women-owned businesses a larger share of the estimated $20 billion in state purchasing and contracting dollars allotted annually. “I am demanding that veto session takes place as scheduled, because the Black agenda cannot wait,” Welch, a Hillside Democrat, said during a video news conference. “The Black agenda, which will be rolled out in the coming days, is going to demand equity and inclusion and in several
areas.” Welch was referring to a package of legislation expected to be put forward by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. Ahead of that announcement, however, the Maywood native said he will push for passage of House Bill 5824. It would improve contracting opportunities for minority- and women-owned and operated businesses, he said. “This isn’t something new. It’s something that we’ve been consistently fighting for year after year after year,” Welch said. “And I think in this watershed moment that we are (at) in history, this is the time, now more than ever, that we should be given fair contracting opportunities.” Among other things, the bill would
give the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity the job of holding “matchmaking” workshops between minority- and women-owned vendors and large purchasing institutions that are already required to file supplier diversity reports. Those include higher education institutions, hospitals, casinos and racetracks, and insurance companies that manage the state’s Medicaid program. Currently, that responsibility rests with the Department of Central Management Services. Welch said the bill also would clarify a current law that requires all businesses receiving EDGE tax credits to file supplier diversity reports during the year in which See WELCH on page 5