Your vote is your voice.

Exercise your power to vote by mail. Once you registered to vote by mail, you can vote by mail in all future Illinois elections.

Unions are involved in elections because the decisions made by elected officials directly affect the everyday lives of working people — from wages, benefits, workplace safety, and collective bargaining rights to health care, public services, voting rights, and retirement security. The Illinois AFL-CIO works to educate, engage, and mobilize union families across the state so members have the information they need when candidates and policies on the ballot could impact their jobs, families, and communities. Research from the Economic Policy Institute also shows that states with stronger union membership tend to see broader benefits beyond the workplace, including higher wages, stronger economic protections, better access to health coverage, and healthier democratic participation.

Union members work hard to elect leaders who will stand up for working people — but accountability does not end on Election Day. Voting records help members see how elected officials actually voted on issues affecting workers’ rights, jobs, wages, benefits, workplace safety, and quality of life. Members can use the national AFL-CIO Legislative Scorecard to review U.S. congressional votes, and the Illinois AFL-CIO Voting Record to see how members of the Illinois General Assembly voted on labor priorities important to working families across the state. These tools help union households make informed decisions and hold elected officials accountable to the commitments they make to working people.