>> Voters in Chicago suburbs took to the polls yesterday casting their ballot for candidates as well as issues like ranked choice voting and raising the local sales tax on groceries.

Cook County Clerk, Monica important overseas suburban elections.

Last month.

She marked 100 days in office.

And in that time, she says she's seen an increase in requests for records like birth certificates and marriage licenses.

She's also noticed or she's also announcing a new dei position in her office.

Joining us now with more on all of that is Monica Gordon, Cook County Clerk.

Kirk Welcome.

Thank you for joining us.

Thank you for having me.

So as we mentioned, suburban Chicago elections were yesterday or suburban Cook County, I should say voter turnout was just under 17%.

So there are over a million registered voters in the county, but only a nearly 300,000 ballots were cast.

How does that compare to previous consolidated elections?

Well, honestly, it's a little higher.

I was Santa last 8 years.

It's a little is higher.

The highest it's been in about a year's.

But let me be honest.

>> That's still not acceptable.

The fact that we have 120% number 4 consolidated elections compared to a 70% for presidential and gubernatorial elections.

election, they're really impacts you.

impacts the everyday voter.

So we did a campaign.

We did have vote local campaign and >> what this tells us is we gotta continue to do these types of campaigns inning.

>> Also, we must conduct other voter engagement strategies to make sure we continue to increase vote.

But is still extremely low.

But surprisingly, it's higher than it's been in the last 8 years.

And I want to point out early voting is higher than it's been since pandemic year, which was 2021.

So we did see much larger increase in early voting.

But there's a lot of work to be done.

And I want do it a little bit higher.

You said still not enough, but it's little bit higher.

Mean, do you think there's been sort of a change on?

>> And folks, voters acknowledging the emphasis on local elections and the importance of Well, I think the change has we've been very diligent in making sure that we.

This this campaign is full local campaign.

We've utilized social media.

utilize local newspapers.

>> We also it has a lot for election judges.

We got a lot election judges this year.

It's so there's about 1430 precincts we simply need about 6,000 election judges and we hit that mark.

So it's just a lot of information getting out.

So the citizens given out to the voters, but there's just a lot more work to do.

>> A leading up to the election.

New data from the Cook County Treasurer's shows that predominantly white taxing districts showed greater participation with an average voter turnout rate in 2024.

Of 55.2% compared to 33.3 in black majority districts.

In 29.2 in districts with Latino majorities.

What voters need to know about the impact of local elections on their lives.

Your schools, your school boards, a library board to fire protection district's the local municipal offices.

This is all the fact that on this tape.

>> In April.

So I at we just implore people to learn more about get more engaged, get more engaged and it starts with also we have my office.

We want to do more with the youth.

We want to do more with civic engagement, with the youth, within the schools let people know about the importance of voting and voting.

Local is not just about voting for your president.

It's not just about voting for your governor.

>> But you need to vote for your local mayor, the small suburban areas, these villages and small cities.

>> With mention that your office is currently seeing a surge in requests for vital records, birth certificates and marriage licenses.

Why do you think that is?

>> I think it's a couple of reasons.

And let me be clear that we don't we do ask we don't record information, but this is just based on some of the feedback that I'm hearing in addition to the Real ID deadline for May, 7th people are saying now, can you just be that is I don't think it's just that when you think about person tickets, there's going to 22% increase for the first 2 months this year versus the first 2 months last year, marriage licenses, a civil union licenses.

37%.

There's a lot of fear and anxiety out there.

People are worried what's happening with the federal administration.

And we're hearing those concerns on They're there was an example of someone tell me about a family.

cup with a cane drove all the way from Texas.

So Kevin, civil union license because they were worried about what will happen in Texas.

So they drove our out all the way here and they're a lot of people who are worried about deportation.

So they want to provide proof of citizenship for their children.

>> As we also know, the current administration, the current presidential administration is targeting diversity, equity and inclusion measures on several public and private sectors have followed suit abandoning there are initiatives.

But your office, you're creating a new position for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Tell us about that.

And where you doubling down on dei in a time like this.

Well.

>> I strongly believe in principles of diversity, equity, inclusion.

And I think people just think about human capital with Dei.

But it's more than that.

And what learned that when I was previously a Cook County commissioner and I served under the leadership of President Toni Preckwinkle, we had a policy roadmap, those a five-year strategy plan and every piece of policy, every piece of legislation, every budget allocation was brewed in equity.

For instance, the district I have was a heavily under-resourced district but more infrastructure comments to my district because of that, that historical disinvestment.

So we want those principles to make sure that everybody feel sick, feel seen and heard at the clerk's office.

Everyone is treated respect and dignity.

>> Are you concerned about any retaliation for those efforts?

I am not.

She's not.

That's a very confident when we know that some folks are intentionally going after every dei opportunity that they get.

>> So when I took on this job, when I got it's a public service is might I move that it was my duty to do what's best for the constituents.

And I think this is best for the constituents.

We have a very diverse constituency.

A Cook county, and we need to reflect that.

We need to make sure that everybody feels a part of the clerk's office.

Everybody feels like the clerk's office works for them.

>> You hit 100 days in office just last month.

How would you describe those first 100 days?

And what's your main focus is as we head forward, the first 100 days are really busy.

I assembled a transition team, business labor, elected leaders.

>> across different sectors really looked at some operational, possibly policy changes within the office.

And also we decided create a new position and that position as deputy clerk of diversity, equity and inclusion.

And we're very excited about their.

We're excited about just the different things we wanted talked about.

The voter engagement strategies.

We want to make sure that we improve the clerk's office building upon the legacy that the late great carrying out left.

want build upon that.

And I know that she was a mentor to you.

You were the second black woman to hold that office.

She