A problem reported to 311 gets a request number. That number is your proof that you asked, and it lets anyone look up what happened. Here is how to use it.
Report it to 311Phone, web, or the mobile app. In the city's 311 records the request source shows up as Phone Call, Internet, or Mobile Device, and aldermen's offices can log requests too (the source is called Alderman's Office).
Write down the request numberIt looks like SR26-01234567. Screenshot the confirmation. Without the number, nobody can look up what happened.
Look it up laterThe city publishes every 311 request. Search the number in the 311 Service Requests dataset. New requests can take a day to show up. The status will read Open, Completed, or Canceled.
If it is still open, take the number to the ward officeCall or email with the request number, the date you reported it, and what it is. Ask where it stands and when it will be fixed. Keep a note of the date you asked and what they said.
Ask again, in writingAn email leaves a record that a phone call does not. If you are told "I'll look into it," write down the date and the name.
The ward office, from the City of Chicago's own Ward Offices list
Address: 4 North Western Avenue, Unit 1C, Chicago, IL 60618
The button opens your own email program with a short message you can edit. We never see it and we do not send anything for you.
Add your ticket to the list
This is optional. Type your 311 request number and it goes on a public list with its live status from the city and how many days it has been open. We check the number against the city's data first, so only real 27th Ward requests get on the list.
What we keep. The request number, its type, the date it was opened, the block (not the exact address), and the date you added it. Nothing about you: no name, no email, no IP address, no cookie. All of it is already public in the city's 311 data. To have a ticket removed, write to contact@27thwardballot.org with the number. Adding a ticket here does not tell the city or the ward office anything. Use the steps above for that.
What this does and does not prove
A request number shows you asked. It does not prove who is responsible for the delay. Many 311 services belong to departments that report to the mayor, not the alderman.
What an alderman's office can do is push a ticket, ask for a status, and show up. How often that happens is the part residents can see for themselves.
This site counts what the city's records show. See the numbers for how the 27th Ward compares with the other 49.