Endorsement Process

Endorsements and Recommendations

48th Ward Neighbors for Justice participates in ward-, city-, and state-wide elections. Our members may democratically choose to support candidates and ballot measures that make the organized left in Chicago more powerful, advance our legislative goals, and empower the everyday residents that make our city the best in the world.

Our endorsement has historically included field work, fundraising, and turn-out for campaign events. During the 2022 and 2023 elections we launched canvasses that knocked almost 65,000 doors, phoned and mailed thousands of voters, and raised more than $30,000 for our endorsed candidates. Endorsed candidates and campaign leaders have also been in close contact with IPO leadership to discuss strategy and recruit key supporters.

Depending on our capacity and interest, our IPO has also offered recommendations to the public instead of a full endorsement. Recommended candidates and ballot measures receive vocal support in the form of media, internal updates to members, and letters of support to officials in the case of appointments to office.

While the vast majority of our focus is on the 48th Ward, our IPO may choose to become involved in races outside of our boundaries depending on the interests of our membership. Candidates for office in other areas are not prohibited from seeking our endorsement or recommendation.

How to request an endorsement or a recommendation 

The easiest way to request an endorsement or a recommendation is to contact our IPO directly. Candidates and interested parties can reach out to individual members of our Steering Committee, email the IPO at admin@48thneighbors.org, contact us on any of our official social media pages, or ask a member to make a motion at our monthly General Membership Meeting. Following that initial request, members of our Steering Committee or Electoral Working Group reach out with next steps.

What the process looks like

As a democratic organization, our IPO gives members in good standing as much ownership over the decision to endorse or recommend as possible, and no official support is offered without their consent. Candidates seeking our endorsement must answer a questionnaire written for them and answer questions at an interview with members. Our threshold for endorsement or recommendation is 75% of all participating members voting in the affirmative. Any announcement of an endorsement or recommendation is done in coordination with the candidate or campaign leaders.