Representative Martin McLaughlin (R) 52nd District
Illinois’ recent consolidated elections have sent a clear and undeniable message: mail-in ballot initiatives targeting low-propensity voters work. Not only do they boost turnout in general elections, but they’re also quietly and effectively increasing participation in local, consolidated elections—the very elections where most of your hard-earned tax dollars are spent.
For more than two and a half years, I’ve urged Republican leaders at every level—party officials, county chairs, and consultants—to invest in low-propensity Republican voter outreach through vote-by-mail registration. Unfortunately, many of those conversations have fallen on deaf ears. There remains a stubborn belief that door-knocking alone is the silver bullet. I support knocking on doors—if we’re also registering voters for mail-in ballots while we do it. But we’re not. Why? Because some still believe it’s unpatriotic to make voting more convenient.
That belief might carry weight—if our voters actually turned out. But they didn’t. In the most recent cycle, turnout in some areas was a dismal 12% to 16%. That’s not only discouraging—it’s devastating. Meanwhile, Democrats maintain a 2-to-1 or even 3-to-1 advantage in mail-in ballot returns. And it’s working.
When Grandma receives her ballot in late January or September, it sits on her kitchen table, quietly nudging her to vote. She might ask a friend, a neighbor, or a relative, “Who should I vote for in the school board or park district race?” That ballot becomes a conversation starter—and more often than not, it gets mailed back. That simple process is helping tip the scales in local elections across Illinois in favor of progressive candidates.
It’s long past time for Republican leadership to stop ignoring this reality. We must build, fund, and execute a comprehensive low-propensity mail-in registration program in Illinois. Doing so would make it far more difficult for candidates who don’t reflect balanced or conservative values to coast to victory by default.
Money alone doesn’t win elections-smart money does. And this is the smartest investment we can make in the next 18 months.
To put this in perspective: in state elections, a well-funded Republican campaign typically spends around $10 per vote. Democrats, who often enjoy a significant financial advantage, routinely spend three to ten times that amount in top-tier races. But when we successfully register a Republican or right-leaning independent for mail-in voting, we’re not just gaining one vote—we’re gaining up to 20 votes per ballot across down-ballot races. That drives the cost per vote down to about 50 cents—an incredible return on investment.
I’ve seen these results firsthand. I recently won in a district that leans 52.7% Democrat. I had no financial support from state party leadership. What I did have was 70 dedicated volunteers, a year and a half of strategic low-propensity targeting, and a mail-in ballot program. That is what made the difference—not blind door-knocking, not last-minute yard signs, and certainly not candidate charisma.
We must stop putting forward candidates with no community ties, asking them to quit their jobs and knock on doors for two years, and then failing to equip them with the infrastructure that actually turns out votes. We must stop pretending we can out-organize the left in person while they’re winning by mail—from dorm rooms, beach vacations, and kitchen tables across Illinois.
Meanwhile, we cling to outdated traditions—standing in six inches of snow, braving freezing rain, waiting in long lines, taking time off work—believing our neighbors are doing the same. Sadly, they’re not. At least not our Republican and conservative-leaning neighbors. We need to stop trying to hail cabs in an Uber or Lyft economy. We certainly aren’t cabbing or Ubering to our polling places in numbers required to win.
Change in Illinois is possible. But only if we adapt. We have 18 months. Let’s stop arguing—and start organizing.
Sincerely,
Martin J. McLaughlin
Illinois State Representative, 52nd District
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