President Donald Trump ignited the conflict over redistricting last year by urging Republicans to redraw congressional maps to reduce the likelihood that his party loses the U.S. House in the November midterm elections.

The legal challenge is part of President Donald Trump’s broader attack on mail ballots, which he has said is a significant source of election fraud despite research that consistently finds voting by mail is a secure way to vote.

Poll watching is one part of a broader response network the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago have partnered up to build in order to monitor possible cases of voter intimidation and federal immigration agents near polling places during the primary election. Legal volunteers, field volunteers, local rapid response teams and volunteer hotline operators will also be mobilizing as part of the effort.

Illinois is among 29 states and Washington, D.C., being sued by the Trump administration for access to their complete, unredacted voter registration databases.

Early voting sites opened in all of Chicago’s 50 wards Monday. Early voting also expanded to a total of 55 locations for suburban Cook County residents.

Join WTTW as we launch our Firsthand: Democracy initiative. We explore the state of civic participation and hear how some Chicagoans are working to strengthen democracy.

Early voting for the March 17 primary election is now open at the Chicago Board of Elections office, located at 69 W. Washington St. on the 6th floor, and at the new Chicago Board of Elections supersite, located at 137 S. State St.

Republicans said the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats warn it will disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it harder to vote.

The Trump administration is pushing states to hand over their full voter rolls, or list of actively registered voters. The administration has sued more than 20 states and Washington, D.C., in an attempt to secure the sensitive information.

More than 450,000 early vote and vote-by-mail ballots have been cast as of Sunday night for the upcoming presidential election, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. If you plan on voting on Election Day on Tuesday, here’s what you need to know.

The hotline aims to help the U.S. Department of Justice deter and combat discrimination and intimidation at the polls, election fraud and threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, according to a news release.

“People are realizing Election Day is now right around the corner and now taking advantage of these early voting options to get their civic duty out of the way,” said Max Bever, director of public information at Chicago Board of Elections.

Voters in Chicago and suburban Cook County can look up their voter information online, where voters can verify their voter registration, locate their polling place, view a sample ballot and check the status of a vote-by-mail ballot.

Early voting is now available at a voting supersite at 191 N. Clark and the Chicago Board of Elections offices at 69 W. Washington, 6th floor. Early voting in all 50 wards begins Oct. 21.

Young voters gathered in the West Loop at the Epiphany Center for the Arts. The event included speakers and a series of voter engagement workshops. Trainings were on topics such as building inclusive voting coalitions on college campuses, messaging during polarized times and running high school voter drives.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois were among the elected officials who attended the AAPI caucus meeting on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.