Democracy depends on a simple bargain: citizens elect leaders, leaders make decisions, and voters can remove them when those decisions fail.
But what happens when people no longer believe that bargain exists?
For many Illinois residents, that question is becoming increasingly urgent.
As a lifelong Illinoisan and Cook County resident, I am not writing as an outside observer. Like millions of Illinois residents, I live with the consequences of the policies enacted in our name and have watched public confidence in government steadily erode.
The old saying to “vote early and vote often” was once treated as a joke. Today, many citizens no longer find it amusing.
When voters lose confidence that elections are transparent, competitive, and meaningful, elected officials become insulated from the consequences of their actions. Policies can fail. Communities can suffer. Families can be devastated. Yet those responsible often face little political risk.
My family understands that reality all too well.
My daughter, Katie Abraham, was killed on January 19, 2025, while visiting friends at the University of Illinois in Urbana. She was a passenger in a vehicle stopped at a red light when an intoxicated driver struck it at nearly 80 miles per hour.
According to court records, the driver had previously been deported, later re-entered the United States illegally, and used a false identity or alias while living in Illinois. Despite multiple apparent red flags—including questions surrounding his identity, significant language barriers, and a complex immigration history—he ultimately obtained an Illinois driver’s license.