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Voting Access Chicago Manager
Operations Coordinator
Volunteer Opportunities

Voting Access Chicago Manager – Public Policy

We are seeking an attorney or public policy professional to serve as the Manager of an exciting, multi-year systems reform initiative. Voting Access Chicago is a collaborative initiative between the Chicago Board of Elections (CBOE), Equip for Equality and the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure that all of Chicago’s polling places are made ADA accessible on Election Day for voters with disabilities and older adults.

The Manager will be responsible for day-to-day management of the project, including the following:

  • Serve as the project’s spokesperson at monthly CBOE Commissioner meetings, programs for people with disabilities and older adults, and community forums, at times in conjunction with the Public Policy Director or the CEO.
  • Participate in regular meetings with CBOE’s Executive Director and key staff and the U.S. Department of Justice.
  • Assist the Public Policy Director on project to update state legislation and regulations governing voting in Illinois to address accessibility, if time permits.
  • Work closely with the organization’s internal Voting team — the Vice President for Civil Rights & Systemic Litigation, the Vice President for Special Education & Pro Bono, the Public Policy Director and at times the CEO, to address strategy and resolve challenges that inevitably arise on systems reform campaigns.
  • Develop an annual Action Plan to organize and track all tasks required to successfully execute this ambitious effort. Track the City of Chicago’s progress in achieving ADA accessibility.
  • Provide guidance to CBOE and develop resources for Election Judges and other election officials so that they can create an accessible day-of election experience.
  • Train, deploy and support pro bono attorneys and law students, along with the nonprofit’s staff, so they are able to properly conduct ADA surveys across the city on Election Day. Recruitment will be done in partnership with the VP for Special Education & Pro Bono Services. (In the 2016 Presidential Election, Voting Access Chicago worked with 210 volunteers, most of who said they would help out again.)
  • Using software on your Smartphone, conduct ADA accessibility surveys at new polling places selected by CBOE to replace ones that are not accessible. This includes recommending temporary and permanent fixes to achieve accessibility.
  • Analyze data and prepare reports on the city’s progress in achieving Election Day accessibility, comparing recent results to prior elections.
  • Conduct training (or train-the-trainer sessions) for CBOE to inform Chicago Election Judges and Election Coordinators of their responsibilities to voters with disabilities and older adults.
  • Assist with Voting Access Illinois, as time permits, including outreach to leaders of other local election authorities and working with the leadership of the State Board of Elections.
  • Participate in CLE trainings on disability related laws and disability rights issues, as time permits.
  • There may be an opportunity to assist with another aspect of the work at Equip for Equality, if time permits.

The successful candidate is a licensed attorney or a public policy professional, preferably with a master’s degree, and five or more years’ professional experience including three or more years’ project management experience. The skills necessary to manage Voting Access Chicago include strong organizational skills, attention to detail, being comfortable preparing reports and able to understand findings on various aspects of accessibility and analyzing changes over time. Knowledge of the ADA is a plus, but not required. Training on the ADA will be provided.

Open immediately. Equal Opportunity Employer. Diverse candidates, especially people of color and people with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. Personal as well as professional experience with people with disabilities is a plus. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and salary expectations to Megan Loutfi, contact information below.

Operations Coordinator

We are seeking a three-day-a-week part-time Operations Coordinator for our Chicago office. This position works closely with fiscal, IT, HR, and administrative staff to ensure the office runs smoothly and efficiently. The selected candidate will be customer service oriented, have a minimum of an associate’s degree or equivalent experience, three or more years of office coordination experience, knowledge of purchasing and inventory systems, Word and Excel.

Hourly pay with paid time off and retirement plan benefits. Equal Opportunity Employer. EFE is an inclusive environment and diverse candidates. People with disabilities, people of color, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and salary expectations to Megan Loutfi, contact information below.

Thank you for your interest in working with Equip for Equality!

 

Orange circle with the words "Did You Know?" typed inside.We have volunteer opportunities!

Did you know you can volunteer or have an unpaid internship with EFE? Students and professionals can volunteer by providing general office help or through internships with our technology department, human resources and other areas of our state-wide non-profit organization. (If you’re an attorney, law student or law school graduate, please read about our Pro Bono Attorney and Law Student Initiative which offers an opportunity to help with our disability rights cases and obtain hands-on legal advocacy experience. You can also learn about Public Interest career opportunities at Illinois Legal Aid OnLine.) For information about our volunteer and unpaid internship opportunities for non-attorneys, please contact Megan Loutfi (see contact information below).

Learn about our current voting access project volunteer opportunity! Help Us Make Chicago’s Polling Places ADA Accessible for People with Disabilities & Older Adults!

Background Checks

Because Equip for Equality is a community-serving organization and safety is of the utmost importance, Equip for Equality requires a background check for employees and others who volunteer or perform services for us depending on the role. The background check is run for employees once a conditional offer of employment has been extended. Background checks are conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, EFE’s policy, and paid for by EFE.

We are an equal opportunity employer.

We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to disability, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. View the Department of Labor’s “EEO is The Law” poster for more information about how employers must comply with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws.

Do you need a reasonable accommodation for our employment process?

Equip for Equality is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to MeganL@equipforequality.org or call (312) 895-7333 and let her know the nature of your request and your contact information. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

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Megan Loutfi, Human Resources Manager
Equip for Equality
20 N. Michigan, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60602
Fax: 312-541-2378

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Last updated: August 15, 2018

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