Monthly Member E-News  -   September 29, 2016

LWVGC membership renewal 
Forum videos on YouTube

2016 election activity: 
VOTE411 - online League Voter Guide 
Voter registration and GOTV follow up 
Ohio's voter purge 
Voter hotline 
"Be a Voter" 
Fall 2016 election schedule

Upcoming events:
Hot Topic Forums:
David Daley on redistricting - Oct. 7
Vladimir Kogan on primary election systems - Nov. 19
Northeast Ohio Public Policy Forums: 
Sports Financing in Cleveland - Oct. 11
Marijuana Legalization - Oct. 13
Relationship between Police and the Community - Nov. 15
Flora Stone Mather: Presidential Elections Issues - Oct. 4 Regionalism and the West Shore Communities - Nov. 14 Proposed merger Shaker & county library systems - Nov. 16
Mark your calendars: PES consensus meeting - Dec. 3 
LWVGC membership renewal

Renewal notices were just emailed to all LWVGC members whose renewals are due this fall. If you joined the League since January 31, 2016, or if you are a 50-year Lifetime member, you should not have received a renewal notice. Please renew your membership today; you can do so online or by mail. Complete instructions and the cost of dues are in the email and on the website. In a few weeks, a follow-up renewal notice will be mailed to all who have not responded to the online message. 

Consider making a donation over the cost of dues. Your donation will help make League membership affordable for others for whom the dues and other costs are a barrier to membership and participation.

Forum videos on YouTube

Tired of the constant Clinton/Trump news? Want to view discussion about other, more locally important issues? Videos of League forums held in the last month, including the September 22 east side candidate forum, are available on our YouTube channel:





League election 2016 activity
VOTE411.org - online League Voter Guide

Candidate information for federal, state, and Cuyahoga County offices, including judicial races, has been uploaded onto VOTE411.org. Not all candidates have responded yet, but we are hoping for more responses before early voting begins October 12. The VOTE411.org website also includes our candidate forum schedule and links to forum video. We are promoting the site and encouraging voters to turn to VOTE411 for election information. Bookmarks with the VOTE411 website are being widely distributed. At least one chapter, CHUH, is doing a local tutorial program on how to use the website at the Cleveland Heights Senior Center. 

Voter registration and GOTV follow up 

Voter registration is a high-priority activity this year. LWVGC is working with NOVA to recruit volunteers for NOVA's many east side voter registration locations and the Cleveland city schools, including school open house events. LWVGC is also registering voters at west side locations that are not covered by NOVA, the Hispanic roundtable on October 8, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, churches, the Justice Center, the county's Marion Building, and hunger pantries across Cleveland. Chapters are also registering voters in their communities. This year LWVUS is urging local Leagues to do a GOTV (get out the vote) follow up. Many of those registered do not ultimately vote in the General Election; the goal is to change that. LWVGC is coordinating its GOTV efforts with NOVA, which has an aggressive follow up program. 

Ohio's voter purge

The Ohio Secretary of State (SOS) is purging hundreds of thousands of registered voters from the state's voter rolls. The SOS says the purge is being done to clear registration rolls of voters who have died or moved away. LWVO and other civic organizations are concerned that many legitimate voters are being taken off of the registered voter lists. An appeals court ruling, which reversed a lower court decision, says that the SOS had wrongfully purged voters. However, the SOS will appeal this decision. In the meantime, League urges all who have not voted in a couple of years to verify their registration status through their local board of elections. Cuyahoga County residents can go to the
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections  website  or call (216) 443-VOTE (8683).

LWVGC voter hotline

We expect to receive many calls on the LWVGC office phone with questions about the upcoming election. To handle this, LWVGC is organizing volunteers to answer the office phone at regular hours during the few weeks from the beginning of early voting on Oct. 12 up through Election Day on Nov. 8. The office phone number will be forwarded to a "burner" phone, which, in turn, will be passed around among volunteers. We do not need more volunteers at this time.

"Be a Voter" - LWVGC publication

LWVGC has produced a publication for first-time or inexperienced voters based on the "First Voter's Guide" created by League for past high school voter registration drives. "Be a Voter: A Basic Guide to Voting in Ohio and Cuyahoga County" will be used again in conjunction with voter education and registration drives in the Cleveland schools as well as other places where useful. An initial printing of 1,000 copies is being distributed to CMSD schools, area libraries, and a handful of other places. A PDF of "Be a Voter" is also available on the LWVGC website under Our League/ Publications for self-printing. If there is demand, we can do another printing.  

Fall 2016 election schedule

The complete fall 2016 election schedule, including early voting hours, is on the LWVGC website.  The most important dates are: 
Oct. 11: voter registration deadline 
Oct. 12: vote by mail (VBM) and early voting begins 
Nov. 5, noon: deadline for VBM ballot applications 
Nov. 7: postmark deadline for VBM ballots mailed in the U.S. 
Nov. 8: Election Day - polls open 6:30 am to 7:30 

Upcoming events
Hot Topic Forums

David Daley on redistricting - Draw the Lines, Make the Rules - Oct. 7 

David Daley, author of Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy, explains why the gerrymander of 2010 and 2011 was different from any in modern political history - and how difficult it will be to undo in Ohio and states nationwide. 

Friday, Oct. 7, 7:00 pm 
West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church 
20401 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River, 44116 
Free and open to the public 
For more information click here

Co-sponsored by the West Shore Social Action Committee

Primary Systems: What are the Choices for Ohio? - Nov. 19 

Dr. Vladimir Kogan, assistant professor, Ohio State University Dept. of Political Science will discuss alternatives to Ohio's current primary system, options that might lead to more competitive elections. 

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2:00 pm 
Parma Snow Branch Library, CCPL 
2121 Snow Road, Parma 44134 
Free and open to the public 

This past year, LWVO has executed a primary elections systems study, which League members will examine and discuss this fall to develop possible public policy positions. LWVGC will have its consensus meeting Dec. 3; details TBA. 

Northeast Ohio Public Policy Forums: 

Sports Financing in Cleveland: What Will They Want Next? - Oct. 11

Should the taxpayer be responsible for financing sports stadiums, training facilities, etc? Or should the owners of the teams be required to maintain the venues out of their own profits?

Peter Krouse, editorial writer, cleveland.com will moderate. Panelists include: 
Len Komoroski, CEO, Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena 
Peter G. Pattakos, lawyer, sports fan and vocal opponent of the "sin tax" 
Jack Schron, Cuyahoga County Council member, District 6

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 7:00-8:30 pm 
Lakewood Public Library, Main Branch 
15425 Detroit Ave., Lakewood 44107 
Free and open to the public, but registration is recommended. To register click here.
For more information click here.

Marijuana Legalization - Oct. 13 

Earlier this year, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation making Ohio the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana, but the debate about cannabis reform is far from over in the Buckeye State. What will Ohio's medical marijuana program look like? And what does the law mean for future marijuana reform efforts in the state? 

Jackie Borchardt, Columbus bureau reporter, cleveland.com, will moderate. Panelists include: 
Brian Bachelder, president, Ohio State Medical Association; family physician at Akron General Hospital 
Thomas G. Haren, Seeley, Savidge, Ebert & Gourash, L.P.A.; editor, Ohio Marijuana Law Blog 
Garett Fortune, CEO, FunkSac (compliant packaging for the cannabis industry) 
Kenny Yuko, Ohio State Senator, District 25 

Thursday, Oct. 13, 7:00 - 8:30 pm 
Parma-Snow Branch Library CCPL
2121 Snow Rd, Parma 44134 
Free and open to the public, but registration is recommended. To register click here.
For more information click here.

Relationship between Cleveland Police and the Community - Nov. 15 
 
Cleveland and cities across America say they are reinvesting in community policing as a way to rebuild trust between their police departments and the communities they protect. We take a look at what Cleveland is already doing, where the department is headed and what it's learned in the past two years, which have been among the most eventful in the police department's history. 

Mark Naymik, metro reporter, cleveland.com will moderate. Panelists include: 
Blaine A. Griffen, executive director, community relations, City of Cleveland 
Wayne Drummond, deputy chief, Cleveland Police Department (tentative) 
Dr. Rhonda Williams, director, Social Justice Institute,  Case Western Reserve University 

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7:00 - 8:30 pm 
Tinkham Veale University Center, CWRU Campus 
11038 Bellflower Road, Cleveland 44106 
Free and open to the public, but registration is recommended. To register click here.

All Northeast Ohio Public Policy Forums are co-sponsored by the Case Western Reserve University Siegal Lifelong Learning Program, League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, cleveland.com, Plain Dealer, and the library systems of Lakewood and Cuyahoga County. Corporate sponsor is First Interstate Properties, Ltd.
Flora Stone Mather Talks:
Presidential Election Issues Panel - Oct. 4

LWVGC will once again cosponsor several talks with the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women at CWRU during the 2016-2017 school year. The first event features a panel of students discussing voting rights and activism. 

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 5:00 to 6:30 pm 
Flora Stone Mather Center, 
Tinkham Veale University Center, CWRU campus, 
10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland 44106 
To RSVP click here.

West Side Public Policy Forums: 
Regionalism and the West Shore Communities - Nov. 14

The panel will discuss current initiatives in the delivery of services in Cuyahoga County, explore possibilities for future cooperation, and respond to audience comments and questions. 

Janice Patterson will moderate. Panelists include: 
Armond Budish, Cuyahoga County executive 
Edward Kraus, Cuyahoga County regional coordinator 
Mike Summers, Lakewood mayor 
Pam Bobst, Rocky River mayor (tentative). 

Monday, Nov. 14, 6:30 pm 
Lakewood Public Library, Main Branch 
15425 Detroit Ave., Lakewood 44107
Free and open to the public 
Shaker Heights Public Policy Forums: 
Proposed merger of the Shaker Public Library with Cuyahoga County Public Library - Nov. 16

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7:00 pm 
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Bldg, 
3450 Lee Road, Shaker Heights 44120
Free and open to the public.
Mark your calendars for PES consensus meeting
- Dec. 3

We will be holding a consensus meeting for the LWVO study on primary election systems (PES) on Saturday, Dec. 3. Details TBA. 


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