President’s Message
As I write this column, several votes have taken place around the country. A contentious mayoral primary in New York City on June 22 used rank-choice voting, a fairly new concept that is gaining traction in the United States. It asks voters to rank, in order, their candidate choices instead of picking only one. Maine also is going in this direction. The new voting process is worth watching.
Congress failed to pass the For the People Act, a bill that would have standardized certain voting rights across the country, undoing the restrictive voting-access bills that several states have passed in recent months. The For the People Act has three primary goals: protect voting rights, curb the influence of big money in politics, and end gerrymandering.
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At this time, the Brennen Center has identified at least 389 bills introduced in 48 states that include provisions aimed at restricting voting access. Nineteen of these bills have been signed into law. Although no voter fraud has been found in Ohio, House Bill 294, known as the Election Security and Modernization Act, is working its way through the legislature. Although some protections are included in this 174-page bill, many other provisions will restrict voting access.
The single most pressing issue right now in Ohio is redistricting. We are planning two community map-drawing programs: Wednesday, July 21, and Thursday, July 29. Both sessions will be held at the Kent Free Library at 6:30 p.m. We are limited to 25 participants for each event. A registration link is contained in an article below.
We need your help to support the League’s efforts to hold our state legislators accountable for getting redistricting done THIS YEAR. Here is what you can do to support this extremely important effort:
- Write the governor and tell him that redistricting MUST be done NOW.
- Write or call your representatives and urge them to act NOW.
If Ohio does not redraw its districts this fall, we will be left with an unacceptable status quo—extreme gerrymandering—for at least four more years. Politicians will be allowed to choose their voters, which is not the way democracy is supposed to work. Click here to find out how to contact our legislators.
Get a Fair Districts yard sign, wear a Fair Districts button, and contact the legislators in Columbus. Email your request for signs and buttons here. lwvkent@gmail.com. Our League’s distinctive End Gerrymandering buttons also are available at The Battleground, Little City Grill and North Water Brewing.
Consider joining our Northern Portage County League friends to march in their July 4 parade in Aurora. You can dress as suffragists if you want, and there will be Fair Districts signs to carry in the parade. See the related article in this newsletter.
Finally, mark your calendar for our August 10 in-person meeting. This will be an opportunity to reconnect, get to know our newest members and find out ways to engage with the League. We will meet in the clubhouse at The Crossings at Golden Pond on Shaw Drive. More details will follow.
Wishing you a celebratory Fourth of July. Remember our fragile democracy, and pledge to do everything you can to help preserve it.
In League and Unity,
Debbie
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Your chance to weigh in on LWV Kent; what you have to say is important! |
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Despite the pandemic, the Kent League of Women Voters is enjoying a robust membership increase with many new members joining this past year. With such a diverse group, we want to be sure we are addressing your interests and expectations.
We have created a simple, short, anonymous survey that you will be receiving in an email. Please take a few minutes (less than 5) to complete the survey and help make our League the best it can be. Thank you!
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Join the parade with Northern Portage LWV
on July 4 in Aurora
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Break out your white suffrage wear to walk with the League of Women Voters of Northern Portage in Aurora’s annual July 4th parade.
The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. from Barrington Town Square and makes its way down State Routes 306 and 43, ending at Aurora High School. It’s free to participate! Interested in being part of the parade? Click here for the July 4th Parade Registration Form & Waiver.
The parade takes less than an hour to complete and, depending on the placement of the LWV unit, probably about 20 minutes. The primary theme is Fair Districts/Redistricting. Suffragists will carry signs as they walk and, along with tossing candy to children along the parade route, they will pass out redistricting information to adults.
Because last year’s parade was canceled, the LWV unit’s float will include a commemoration of the 19th Amendment Centennial. If walking is too much, volunteers will be able to ride. League members should meet at the line-up area about 45 minutes before the parade starts to help decorate the float. If you plan to participate, email us at lwvkent@gmail.com as soon as possible.
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Community mapping JULY 21 & 29: What it is, why do it, how/when you can participate |
LWV Kent will be hosting community-mapping sessions on July 21 and 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Kent Free Library, 312 W. Main St., Kent. This in-person event is FREE.
Registration is now open only to members since there is limited space. We will open the attendance on July 14 to community members to invite more participation.
Why are we hosting community-mapping sessions?
The year 2021 is the year we in Ohio have been waiting for! It is the year that the Ohio legislature and the Ohio Redistricting Commission will draw new Ohio House and Senate districts and U.S. Congressional districts using the new procedures that were made part of the Ohio constitution after the Ohio League’s successful reform efforts in 2015 and 2018. (Ohioans voted overwhelmingly both times to support fair di.)
Official mapping in Ohio will begin this fall. Given the delays in delivery of the 2020 U.S. census date, we can’t say for sure exactly when the work will begin. While we wait for the district map-drawing process to start, communities across Ohio are being encouraged to draw community maps.
What are community maps?
Community maps are exactly what they sound like: maps of communities, as defined by the community members themselves. These maps are based on neighborhoods, or areas with shared interests. Community maps are created by community members—without any specific rules regarding how those communities must be drawn in terms of population numbers, county splits, and so forth. The idea is simply to have communities tell their own stories and draw lines around the area that they consider to be a place of shared values, traditions, concerns, and lifestyles.
Why are community maps useful?
Community maps are not official maps, but they do build knowledge and power. They encourage community members to think through what their community looks like in terms of boundaries on a map and why their community should be kept together rather than split into two or more parts. Community members who have engaged in the map-drawing process will be better able to participate in public hearings and articulate, for example, what is wrong with a map that dissects their community.
How are the maps created?
We are using a software program called DistrictR to create community maps. This software is free and accessible to all. We also have trainers who can answer your questions and help you practice making a community map.
For more information about community mapping, click here.
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Kent Roosevelt High School senior Patrick Gallagher awarded League Scholarship |
Kent Roosevelt High School class of 2021 Vice President Patrick Gallagher is the recipient of the Kent League Book Award for a graduating senior. He is bound for Ohio State University. Read Gallagher’s winning essay responding to the question: Does gerrymandering impact our democracy? The annual award is $500.
Gallagher was captain of the 2020 varsity tennis team, a member of the National Honor Society and performed as a member of the Drama Guild and the Advanced Choir Ensemble.
Gallagher’s community involvement includes working with Habitat for Humanity, volunteering with programs that distribute food to the needy and participating in the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership program. The program is designed to help young people explore and identify their unique leadership skills, according to the organization’s website.
Congratulations, Patrick!
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Aug. 10 in person with LWV Kent
Need to meet up with members for 1st time?
Ready to see fellow Leaguers you missed this past year?
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LWV Kent officers and members of the board of directors are thrilled with the number of new members and those who have renewed their memberships during a year of socially-distant participation. We appreciate each and every one of you!
That led the board to decide that the August 10 All Member Meeting will be just fun with minimal informative minutes on the agenda. We can't hardly have a League meeting without some edifying interaction. We'll be brief about committee work and advocacy opportunities.
We hope to see many, many of you for snacks and beverages:
- TUESDAY, AUG. 10, 6-8 PM OR WHEN YOU CAN ARRIVE
- FREE & FREEFORM
- CONNECT WITH MEMBERS FOR FIRST TIME IN PERSON!
- RECONNECT WITH US AND FIND OUT HOW MUCH WE MISSED YOU!
- WHERE--Crossings at Golden Pond Clubhouse, 171 Shaw Drive, Kent
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LIMITED PARKING. CAR POOL FROM MARC'S ON SR 43. EMAIL US AT lwvkent@gmail.com TO ARRANGE.
Want to help with the arrangements and hospitality? Email us to volunteer at lwvkent@gmail.com.
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Fair Districts yard signs available;
get yours today!
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Members Iris Meltzer, Chris Schjeldahl, and Fay Ann and Kim Sebaly are just a few showing their Fair Districts colors!
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YOU HAVE THE POWER!
Your help is needed to inform the public about the difficult work ahead to achieve fair districts and end gerrymandering in Ohio. For more information on the Fair Districts organization, click here.
If you’re not into displaying yard signs, you can spread the word about the need for fair districts in other ways. Click the poster image (below, left) and the Facebook cover image (below, right) to download them to your computer. You can upload the cover image to your personal Facebook page as the cover. You can post both the cover and the poster to your Facebook feed. You can also download the poster and print it as a flyer to post at places you frequent. Yes, you do have power!
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Fair Districts poster (left). Fair Districts Facebook cover (above). Click on each image to download it. |
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Missed the REAL TALK series on racial justice?
Here's the link!
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To view these segments and earlier ones on voting-rights access, health and education, click here.
REAL TALK is a multi-League (Hudson, Akron Area, Kent and Greater Cleveland) diversity, equity and inclusion program designed to fully examine, dissect and dismantle systemic and institutional discrimination and oppression based on race, sexual orientation and gender identity, mental and physical ability, socioeconomic status, gender and age. The online events are free and open to the public.
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LWV Kent Education Committee updates board
with presentation that showcases the committee's work
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The LWV Kent Education Committee worked for several months to determine and evaluate how Kent City Schools were handling COVID 19 measures and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (among other topics). The committee presented its report to the board in the form of a PowerPoint slideshow. After the presentation, the board decided that the entire membership should have access to the slideshow. You can view it here. The PowerPoint is a substantial read and is stored on a cloud so you will go to a window where you will need to click for access to the file. Sorry for the inconvenience!
THANK YOU, ED COMMITTEE!
The committee chair is Deborah Austin Sanders. The committee members are Christie Anderson, Sara Ashley-Cook, Janine Button, Mary Beth Harper, Janice Hutchison, Melissa Long, Judith Makens, Carol Redmond, Jan Rusnack, Chrystal Shook, Beverly Timmons, William Wilen and Stacy Yaniglos.
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LWV Kent officers and board of directors for 2021-2022 program year elected at Annual Meeting |
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Congratulations to the LWV Kent board members who were elected at the June 5 Annual Meeting.
Two-Year Term Ending 6/30/2023
President: Deborah Barber
Vice President: Penny Graves
Secretary: Jackie Peck
Directors: Jill Hazelton, Deborah Austin Sanders, Sherry Rose
Continuing Elected Board Members, Term Ending 6/30/2022
Vice President: Janice Hutchison
Treasurer: Gail Pytel
Directors: Amie Cajka, Jennifer Kinney, Renee Ruchotzke, Sally Saltzman
2021-2022 Nominating Committee
Roberta O’Keefe, Chair; Mary Myers, Chris Schjeldahl
Thank you to the 2020-2021 Nominating Committee: Iris Meltzer, Chair; Mary Myers, Chris Schjeldahl, Janice Hutchison, Renee Ruchotzke.
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Get connected to WKSU's Learning Curve |
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For the past year, WKSU has experimented with a new method of editorial project strategy—one that is focused on addressing important community information needs and delivering that information directly to the people who need it most. LWV Kent members learned about the programming project at this year’s Annual Meeting. The Learning Curve team has tackled the topics of infant mortality, evictions and voter access and is now focused on K-12 public education in Ohio.
Learning Curve reporting and other information are available to listen/read here.
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Keep up with the energetic
Observer Corps via our website
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Click here to go directly to the latest Observer Corps reports. Or, to access the reports from our website's home page, click on “Observer Corp” in the left-side navigation menu.
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#Grateful for poll worker's generosity |
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Poll workers are already contributing so much to making elections secure and helping the public. One Portage County poll worker found an even more special way to help strengthen democracy. The individual, who also is an LWV Kent member, donated the payment earned for working the polls last November to the League. Thank you so much, and what a great idea! Hint, hint.
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SAVE THE DATE...
Sept. 14 Fall Kick-off Meeting, IN PERSON, Details to come.
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Connect with us by email . . . and |
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