>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

The Supreme Court takes up a case on whether mail-in ballots can be counted if they arrive after Election Day.

What it could mean for the midterms.

Instead voting for just one candidate erase that starting with their favorite film.

>> With the Illinois primary election in the rearview mirror, we explore a different way to cast your ballot ranked choice voting.

>> How did you pray before someone told you when got chippy?

And a south side native become Chicago's next poet laureate.

First off tonight.

>> Governor JB Pritzker is pointing out, quote, real failures in the nation's immigration system following the fatal shooting of Loyola University students.

Sheridan Gorman last week.

The man charged with killing is the killing is 25 year-old Jose Medina who federal officials say is the Venezuelan national without legal permission to be in the U.S.

>> Well, it's been terrible tragedy.

And I know that the Mormon families suffered mightily.

I agree there have been real failures.

Those failures, of course, UC's beyond the borders of Illinois.

That's their national failures of failure to have comprehensive immigration reform.

A failure of the president to follow his own needed to go after the worst of the worst.

>> Nationally Republicans including President Trump claiming that Gorman's death was the result of Chicago and Illinois's Sanctuary laws which prohibit local law enforcement from working with federal agents.

In most cases.

Auburn Gresham community members are offering a $10,000 reward for information on the shooting death of a 37 year-old man who drove for UPS.

>> And today I am asking the community to not be silent.

I'm asking you got take accountability and asking you guys to began to speak to the I'm asking you to come forth.

>> We can no longer continue to perpetuate this cycle of where we are silent.

While brothers die to senseless gun violence.

The family of Michael Hunter says he'd returned home from 5 days on the road as a driver for UPS.

>> When he noticed his car was stolen while searching for answers.

He walked to the intersection of 80th it when shots rang out just after midnight the morning of the 22nd.

Police say he had a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Relatives say he was a pillar in aggression community and a mentor to countless young people.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is defending his proposal to give the area around United Center millions of dollars property tax break.

The 55 million dollar tax break would help the owners of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks redevelop the parking lots around the West Sides.

United Center into an entertainment district and new neighborhood.

The 7 billion dollar real estate redevelopment known as the 19 0, One project would transform the lots in 2 music Hall hotel.

Public parks in nearly 9500 residential units, commercial properties in Cook County are typically taxed based on officials calculations of 25% of their value records show the incentive backed by Johnson would allow the lots to be assessed at 10% of the value for the first 10 years.

Then 15% in year 11 20% in year 12 officials say the project is set to be built in 6 phases ending in 2040.

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration must temporarily unfreeze about 2 billion dollars in federal funds for Chicago Transit Authority projects.

The order comes after a lawsuit filed by the CTA last week challenge the federal government over its withholding billions in funding for the Red Line Extension project and the Red and Purple Line.

Modernization Project.

The pause in funding was announced last October as part of a broader Anti dei push from the Trump administration at the time federal officials said they'd be examining whether the red line extension involves race-based contracting that Trump officials claim is discriminatory.

For more on this story, visit our website.

Could mail-in ballots received after Election Day be invalidated.

The Supreme Court weighs that decision.

More on that right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexander and John Nichols family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> The U.S.

Supreme Court is weighing whether to count mail-in ballots that arrived after Election Day, but are still postmarked on time, Illinois, except ballots up to 2 weeks later, more than a dozen dozen other states have similar laws.

Republican National Committee argues that counting these late arriving ballots undermines public trust and the justices appeared divided as the decision looms ahead of November election.

Joining us to talk about this are Harold Krantz, professor of Chicago can't College of Law and Jake Braun, director of the Cyber Policy initiative at the University of Chicago and former acting principal cyber director under the Biden administration.

Gentleman, welcome back.

Thanks for joining us.

Very Harold Krantz over to you first.

Bring us up to speed, please.

On this case out of Mississippi, it's Watson versus the Republican National Committee.

What are the arguments here?

>> Sure.

this all has to do a statutory construction, Congress and several occasion has define what is Election Day.

And as you probably know, it's defined first 45 is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

So what this election day to doesn't mean when cast ballots, which is a mean 1, one receives bounce, the Mississippi like Illinois, New York, California allows for a grace period in Mississippi skates up to 5 days because of the uncertainty, the mail when the bad old may be returned.

And so the challenge of the Republican National Committee is that and Election Day means you have to not just cast ballots received balance.

So that is the statutory linchpin of the argument before the Supreme Based upon the statutory language, the history, the structure and just the ramifications of allowing this grace period for absentee ballots.

>> Jake Braun, President Trump claims that mail-in voting is not secure we do know that, you know, letter carriers, mail carriers, they can get robbed any of us have experienced male getting lost in transit.

How safe of an option is?

Is the U.S.

Postal Service for voting for ballots?

>> All right.

Incentives for the safest.

One of the reasons is that everybody who vote absentee votes on hand marked paper ballot, which is by far and away the most secure way to them.

interestingly, you know, ballots are transported from the precinct to the office.

The county officer City office, where they're connect with their kind the vehicle already.

It's not like things are are transported in armored vehicles.

Like you see picking a money from the from the bank.

And so there's just as much opportunity for the boats to get tampered with or whatever between the priest seem the county as they would be from voters.

House to the county.

So there's there really shouldn't be any increased risk in terms of security.

And in fact, there's shooter added benefit of people voting on hand.

Mark paper ballots.

>> Hammer, Park paper ballots electronic balloting, which you discussed here on this program, which is much more vulnerable to security problems.

Exactly.

Herald has mentioned the RNC.

They claim that the state's counting mail-in ballots past Election Day are defying federal law.

Is that accurate?

Is is it up to is that based on their interpretation of what the law says about Election Day?

>> What based on what the election day meetings.

And we've had absentee ballots ever since the Civil War.

that's expanded.

people are out of the People are working out of People are sick and states have recognized the difficulties on voting in these concerts.

So the understood given accommodation to individuals to vote by mail and again, about 15 states have said, you know, we can vote by but we'll get make the grace period to make sure the ballots arrive.

And so the history suggest that this is find Congress knows about this practice.

It most recently passed a statute, another election statue a couple years ago.

It hasn't changed so it's kind of a strange move by RNC and the Trump administration to change something which has been practiced for over 100 which has been recognized sent just to vote absentee as long as it's countered with a grace period, you're still voting on Election Day.

But that's the question for the Supreme Court.

And the Supreme Court was very divided and it's I don't think is great consequence comparison to the say vaccinations.

But nonetheless, it's an important issue.

>> Yesterday Supreme Court justices Herald, they also raised concerns that if the GOP is reading of election law is correct.

Then the court's ruling could also have implications for early voting.

What kind of concerns do you have there?

>> I do have concerns because if Supreme Court there decides you have to not only cast Oprah receivable.

Maybe they are suggesting that everything has to be past on the of of the first Tuesday after first Monday November.

And that would suggest early voting would be knocked out as well.

Not really voting is so important in terms of not we can hear from Jake about security.

But in terms of just allowing people to vote, not worry about their jobs, not worry about being sick and be able to use the flexibility to vote ahead of time.

If we band early voting.

That was certainly dampen the people's willingness to go to the polls who certainly bring down the numbers of people voting making their voice heard.

>> So Illinois law, Jake allows mail-in ballots to be counted up to 2 weeks after an election.

Should there be a national standard for when ballots must be received or should it continue to be set on a state-by-state basis?

>> You know, the federal government has provided has spent commissioner several requirements of the years in terms of voting.

If they wanted to make one, you know, I'm no lawyer here.

So we folks on But there's no security reason why you couldn't come in 2 weeks after the election and have the election not be just as secure as it would have been had.

They all come in on Election Day.

>> Should there be Jake Safeguard?

Are there safeguards that are already in place to protect mail-in balloting and should there be more?

>> Absolutely.

There there are, for example, on one of the great things about mail-in ballots is that many places they counted where you have full watchers from both parties sitting there because they're they're often counted in one place, whereas in precincts, oftentimes one part of the other.

You know, because people tend 10 to consolidate around their own their own party.

One party the other off attempts people are going to precincts.

But they'll almost always confined of both parties can almost always find somebody go to the county county.

That's a So you have one of the best security measures ever, which people from both sides.

Some there want to make sure every single ballot was cast appropriate for but was cast appropriately and that security measures is incredibly important and again made all the more possible through and paper ballots, which you don't have that people are voting voting machines that particular, those that don't paper records.

>> Carol, that the court should rule in favor of the RNC.

And of course, the Trump administration who would be most affected by that decision.

>> Well, ironically current hits Alaska mask as one of the most difficult transportation systems to voting rules on anywhere difficult situation in terms of mail.

And I think they would be affected the most.

think this really is a partisan issue should be American issue because we want to encourage people to vote and we don't want to dampen participation in our republic.

my fear is Supreme Court.

We don't do that.

It's not so much a Republican Democratic system really is just a matter of encouraging people to take participate and take a stake in country.

And again, there people in remote areas, people bad transportation and the people who were just unlucky in terms giving mail carriers or we will carry who are will be the ones who are the most affected.

>> Lawmakers in the Senate, they're battling over the Save Act Herald.

In part it would outlaw mail-in voting for people without a quote, legitimate excuse like living abroad having a debilitating injury.

What concerns do you have with the save act legislation?

>> We'll see that I think is is far more of a threat to the republic.

do the washing case that we've been discussing event requires documentation, documentation and many people don't have.

We're not aware where it You have to actually show the documentation in person.

So you have to get used to to pass, pass you to find some cases a marriage certificate because your name is changed to in order to prove that you are eligible vote, you actually have to then collect documentation that may not be enough.

Maybe different It may be lost.

And so that would certainly dampen participation rates.

I think far more than what the cutoff that's it's taking the watching rain we've been discussing.

>> Yeah.

And that is a much more controversial part of that particular act as well.

In addition to what it says about mail-in voting, which has gotten a little bit less attention, that's where we'll have to leave it now.

For now, though, Harold Krantz and Jake Braun, thank you so much for joining us.

>> Take your Thank you.

And we're back with more right after this.

Illinois just wrapped up its primary election.

Some of the races had an eye-popping amount of candidates to consider like the 9th congressional district where 15 Democrats ran.

Daniel Biss won the primary election with just under 30% of the vote.

But what if there was a different way to vote for candidates?

What if you could rank choices in order of your preference?

Well, there is a system like that and it is in use across the country.

It's called ranked choice voting.

How does it work?

Btw News explains.

>> People are obsessed with rankings.

Best drummers of all time.

The NCAA top 25 feet local reporters.

You name it will rank it.

Now growing number of jurisdictions are applying the art of ranking to voting.

So how does ranked choice voting work?

Well, consider voting for just one candidate of race that starting with their favorite.

If nobody gets more than 50% of the first place votes, the election goes to an instant runoff.

Eliminating the bottom can every distributing their votes to the next preference.

>> Say the race is between the classic Chicago hot Dog.

>> Deep dish pizza?

Italian beef and the Greek hero out of 100st place.

Vote hot on finishes with He took a 30 Italian be 20 and he wrote head in a conventional election case when not so fast with ranked choice voting since no candidate won 50%.

It's on to round 2.

The euro is eliminated and everyone thanks.

Euros first now has their second choice instead.

So who did the euro lovers vote for as their number 2?

Well, let's talk lot talking.

Certainly one noticed in the U.S.

none of Euros.

Fans ranked hot dogs.

Second Fico defeats not and to Now it's hot on 40 pizza.

35 feet.

25.

>> Still no one has cracked 50%.

It beat his beef is out.

both get redistribute.

It hot dog picks up 5 votes.

But the of the other 20 in 55 45.

>> It's like people made the right call for >> Advocates argue ranked choice voting is more Democratic and it forces candidates to build coalitions.

Detractors cite voter confusion and lower voter turnout.

Among other things against.

At a choice.

>> And you can check out our website for more of our award-winning series W T Tw News explains.

That's at W T Tw Dot com Slash explains.

Up next one-on-one with Chicago's poor Law poet laureate in a conversation that first aired earlier this year.

Chicago has a new poet laureate.

My the Alexander, though, by 8 is a poet educator and interdisciplinary artist born and raised on the city's south side.

Chicago's second poet laureate might've will commission new works in create public programming.

The poet laureate who receive $70,000 over a two-year term also serves as an ambassador for the city's literary and creative communities.

Joining us now is the Chicago poet laureate herself.

Might Alexander go value.

Congratulations.

Thank you for joining Thank you for having me.

So born and raised on the South side, how do you think your identity and being raised in Chicago influenced your approach to writing poetry?

How gosh, it's so much at the center of my work and so much of what I I write about.

>> It's about that, you I think growing up Puerto Rican on, you know, the first generation born here.

My mom and dad came when when they were very young and usually what we hear about the Puerto Rican communities is centered in Humble park.

So growing up in the South side is very, very different.

Growing up in a city that's some racially really segregated as well and kind of growing up in a racial middle is is something that, you know, really shape my perspective in my experiences as well.

The language, the culture, just all the things that I would grow up, you know, seeing and hearing my household on a daily basis really shaped my writing in there at the center of area.

And I listen to a little bit of your work as well because, you know, you also sort of identify sort for Latino, right and acknowledging the African roots that are night yet being part of the diaspora.

Yeah, definitely.

After a descendant and >> and acknowledging those routes and trying to be aware of them.

And, you know, also aware of the privilege that I that I carry as well.

But that's that's part of what's in my work hard.

he was well, yeah, second person to be named the city's poet laureate.

What does it mean to you and how do you plan on using the position?

gosh, I really hope to just >> steward poetry and into the city, you know, and to be of service to the city continue the work that Avery Young started.

He created some amazing program.

So >> I really hope to continue some of the work that he started in terms of taking poetry out to the city of having opportunities for people to come together and write together about their experiences.

Their stories in the city working together with the public library is also really exciting.

That was a, you know, really important to me as a as a young writer and growing up the library was somewhere that I was went 2 for as kind of like a refuge and to just find books that I you know what to swallow them up every weekend.

So I'm really excited about supporting their programming and creating some of my own as well.

Where would you say you get some of your your performance style last there?

A lot of different people.

I was talking to someone about that earlier today.

I would say.

>> group is a child of of the hip-hop generation in the 90's.

So that really in Chicago.

So that is yeah, there's specific units, very specific.

Also works into mice you know, growing up listening to some some music, 70 salsa music, Sonia Sanchez, I'm a Barack a summit.

yes, that is the new year weekend poets from from that movement in New York City as well.

So Williams is someone else that influenced a lot of people and that area of port trees.

So I think that's, you know, also an influence from ISIS.

Lot of fingerprints.

I guess you could say my work.

Yeah.

Just a minute ago, we're looking at our second ago.

We're looking at you performing on Poetry Jam.

I got in the day.

Yeah.

So what do you think?

Makes Chicago's poetry scene unique compared to like other big cities, New York l a we've also live.

Yeah, you know, I we don't always get credit for for the things that we create, you know, and for how are really incubator for.

>> A lot of different artists.

I think we're in a unique position.

We're PM people can come to Chicago and they can kind of experiment and play with style and be influenced by the different things in the city.

You know, where the home of the poetry slam plan was created here in Chicago.

Other cities get credit for kind of, you know, making a little bit bigger.

But it was point here in Chicago.

I think, you know, we have we come from a city that has a literary tradition that's really rooted in everyday working people expressing their thoughts, opinions and stories.

I think that's really like at the heart of Chicago's lit scenes.

So I'm really proud to represent worse among your accomplishments.

He performed at the Obama White House invitation of former president and former first lady.

What was that like for was pretty amazing I was Miami.

was pretty blown away by, you know, getting the invitation.

But I think the >> the coolest part of that night was being able to take my mom and me and the palm that I read was about my grandmother and her mom.

And, you know, there was a grandmother living in the White House at that at that time.

So that was Robinson was still yes, yes, we >> So it was really poignant and really moving to be able to 2 read that poem about my grandmother.

And, you know, have the first lady there sitting next to her mom daughters.

generations represented there.

You know.

So that was I think that was like the most.

Very important part.

special You've got your first event as poet laureate this week Wednesday.

Yes.

What can people expect I'm going to be reading some new work own that I created this part of my residency through elastic arts.

So the work is about being Puerto Rican, Chicago surprise of having to have some musical accompaniment as well.

Just going to kind of show the range things that I do and really excited to have Chicago in the House and and say hi to everybody.

Yeah, What think poetry still so relevant.

I think.

>> At this particular moment in time.

I've always taught us about poetry.

I think that poetry is one of the few art forms with people a certain level of truth and honesty from the writer and poetry also demands truth honesty from that listen to it right at the man's is to to thank about how we feel about, you know, the things that come up for But it's also it's a time when we need people to to tell the truth and to to speak the truth about the things that we're seeing, the things that are happening in the world and, you know, Chicagoans, we've seen a lot these last couple of months.

so I think that it's it's an art form that we really need at this time to demand truth about the way that we're feeling in the world and what we can hope to create in the future.

And the city has a new poet laureate to deliver Congrats again tonight, though, by a thank you so much for joining Thank you having me.

Of course.

>> And we're back to wrap things up right after this.

>> Reflecting the people perspectives that make this story is part of Chicago tonight.

Not >> And that's our show for this Tuesday night.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter is the Daily Chicago in and urban nature at W T Tw Dot Com Slash newsletter and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

Now for all of us here at Chicago tonight, Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford law Chicago, personal injury and wrongful death with more than 40 years of