Kent and Northern Portage League members gather in Columbus for the Fair Districts rally on September 21. Eleven Kent LWV members attended the event. |
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President’s Message
As I am writing this column, I’m still feeling a little glow from the Fair Districts rally in Columbus last Tuesday. Our Kent League had 11 members present, a noticeable group. Overall, more than 300 people from across the state participated, many of whom were League members. If you want to hear the speakers, click here.
Now that the redistricting commissioners have adopted a new map for our state legislative districts, I must comment on the outcome.
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First, please understand that the issue of having fair districts in our state is absolutely not a partisan position. The League of Women Voters of Ohio, along with many other organizations, has been working on this issue for more than 40 years. Throughout that time, our state was gerrymandered by both parties—Democrats and Republicans. In 2015 (for state legislative districts) and 2018 (for congressional districts), every county in Ohio overwhelmingly voted to end this unfair and undemocratic maneuver.
So where are we today? After public hearings, convened at the last minute and without any proposed maps to reference or discuss, we have been given Ohio legislative maps that, in many opinions, actually are worse than the previous ones. Why?
- The new maps show general disregard for the reforms passed by Ohio voters.
- There was no transparency in the process, as negotiations occurred behind closed doors.
- The maps retain the Republican super majority.
- There was no consultation with experts about how to fairly create maps, although there are many software programs available that could do that.
- Three elected Republican officials on the commission (Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, State Auditor Keith Faber), along with the two Democrats (Sen. Vernon Sykes of Akron and House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes of Akron) expressed concern about the constitutionality of the maps.
- No other maps were considered.
Up next, with a September 30 deadline, is the new congressional map. Although the target date will most likely be missed, the same concerns exist. Please be vigilant. Write the commissioners and your legislators and tell them that you demand fairness. To find your legislators, click here for state reps and here for state senators. Did you know that 3.5 million Ohioans live closer to a congressional district office that is not their congressperson’s? Did you know there is one (of many) Columbus district that goes all the way to Ohio University, encompassing parts of 15 counties?
Right now, citizens of Ohio are not served by their elected officials. It’s the other way around. This situation feeds extremism. It makes it difficult for the governor to govern. As voters, we have lost our voices. And we need to regain them.
I urge you to stay informed about Fair Districts. Watch what is happening and remember, more than 70 percent of Ohio voters approved redistricting reforms. Now we must hold our lawmakers accountable.
Note: For more on the lawsuits filed in response to the new district maps, see the article “Headed to court over fair districts maps” in this newsletter.
In League and Unity,
Debbie
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Click here to see the photos and videos and read the reflections of the Kent Leaguers who attended the Fair Maps Day in Colunbus on Sept. 21.
Winners were announced in the Ohio Fair Districts Redistricting Compeition. Click here to see their maps and read the media release.
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Voting in Portage County this fall is topic
of October 6 All Member Meeting
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Join us online for a presentation on voting in Portage County as the November election nears. Speaker for the event on Wednesday, October 6, will be Terrie Nielsen, Esq., deputy director of the Portage County Board Elections.
Here is what you need to access the Zoom meeting. We'll send this link out the day before the meeting and you'll also see in in your email box an hour before the meeting starts.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 893 1479 5472
Passcode: 515685
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,89314795472#,,,,*515685# US (Chicago)
+16465588656,,89314795472#,,,,*515685# US (New York)
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 893 1479 5472
Passcode: 515685
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NEW MEMBER ORIENTATIONS RESUME |
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Attention, new members!
New Member Orientation begins at 6 p.m.!
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Join Membership Chair Sherry Rose for all you need to know about getting the most out of your LWV Kent membership. She also will answer any questions you may have. To join the New Member Orientation (followed immediately by the AMM), click here.
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Headed to court over fair district maps |
These new district maps are the subject of three lawsuits filed in the Ohio Supreme Court. The League of Women Voters of Ohio is one of the partners in the lawsuit brought by Fair Districts. |
Three lawsuits have been filed to challenge the redistricting maps that even some of the Ohio Redistricting Commission members who voted to approve the maps are doubting their constitutionality. The League of Women Voters of Ohio is a plaintiff in the first of the three suits filed in Ohio and the first such lawsuit in the country after the release of population data from the 2020 U.S. census.
Here are the three lawsuits and links to more information.
Fair Districts and Partners
The ACLU of Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Covington & Burling LLP filed a lawsuit in Ohio Supreme Court challenging Ohio’s newly drawn maps for state House and Senate districts that give extreme and unfair advantage to the Republican Party. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Ohio chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and several individuals. This lawsuit was the first of three (so far) to challenge Ohio’s new district maps. For more information about the lawsuit, click here. To read the news release about the lawsuit, click here. To read the complaint in its entirety, click here.
National Redistricting Action Fund
The National Redistricting Action Fund, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee led by former Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder, filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10 Ohioans who said they were adversely affected by the approved legislative maps, which were passed by Republicans on the committee without bipartisan support. To read the complaint in brief, click here.
Brennan Center and Co-Counsel at Reed Smith
The Brennan Center and Co-Counsel at Reed Smith filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Redistricting Commission and its members on behalf of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, CAIR-Ohio, the Ohio Environmental Council and numerous Ohio voters. The plaintiffs argue that the commission’s gerrymandered maps violate voters’ equal protection and associational rights and the prohibition against partisan gerrymandering under the Ohio Constitution. The plaintiffs are asking the Ohio Supreme Court to force the commission to redraw the maps. For more information about the lawsuit, click here.
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Nov. 11 All Member Meeting topic about veterans services meeting the challenges of coming home |
Join us on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, for a talk on veterans, the challenges they face returning home and the services available to help them. The meeting will be online via Zoom. Information about the speaker coming soon.
Here is what you need to know to access the Zoom meeting. We'll send this link out the day before the meeting and you'll also see in in your email box an hour before the meeting starts.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 893 1479 5472
Passcode: 515685
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,89314795472#,,,,*515685# US (Chicago)
+16465588656,,89314795472#,,,,*515685# US (New York)
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 893 1479 5472
Passcode: 515685
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ANOTHER CHANCE TO ATTEND A NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION SESSION! DON’T MISS OUT! |
Attention, new members!
New Member Orientation begins at 6 p.m.!
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Join Membership Chair Sherry Rose for all you need to know about getting the most out of your LWV Kent membership. She also will answer any questions you may have. To join the New Member Orientation (followed immediately by the AMM), click here.
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With the voter registration deadline looming Oct. 4,
the Voter Service Committee has been busy!
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Members of the Voter Service Committee have been working hard to register as many people as possible before the October 4 deadline in ways that minimize in-person contact due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Portage County.
To potentially reach a large number of people, the committee partnered with the Kent Free Library for a voter-registration display table on the main floor of the library. The display includes voter-registration cards, LWV Kent Make a Plan to Vote cards and LWV Kent End Gerrymandering pins. The cards and pins are free.
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Kent Free Library staff person Kristen Poole stands watch over the library’s voter registration display. The library included the our Make a Plan to Vote cards and End Gerrymandering pins. |
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The committee then delivered poster-size and pocket-size Make a Plan to Vote cards to local business and community organizations for distribution to their customers and members.
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The Voter Service Committee distributed Make a Plan to Vote cards, like the one above, to the Kent Free Library and local businesses and community organizations.
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On National Voter Registration Day, September 28, the committee supplied local business, restaurants, community organizations and libraries with information reminding people to register to vote, update their voter information with a new address if applicable, and go vote. Ads, mostly online. with election date calendars and links to a resource page were placed in the Record-Courier, Weekly Villager and The Portager.
Interested in joining the Voter Service Committee or any of LWVK's other committees? Click here to see the list an send email about your interest. Your email will be forwarded to the committee chair.
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Election information site VOTE411.org up and
running by Oct. 1
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The League of Women Voters Education Fund launched VOTE411.org in October 2006 as a "one-stop-shop" for election-related information. The site provides general and state-specific nonpartisan information on the following aspects of the election process:
- Absentee ballots
- Ballot measures (where applicable)
- Early voting options (where applicable)
- Election dates
- Data on candidates in federal, state and local races
- General topics such as how to watch candidate debates with a critical eye
- ID requirements
- Polling place locations
- Registration deadlines
- Voter qualifications
- Voter registration forms
- Voting machines
An important component of VOTE411.org is the polling place locator, which lets you type your address in a search box and retrieve the polling location for your precinct. This feature is among the most popular one on the site a few days before and on election day itself.
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Voting calendar for November 2 general election
ready to share with family, friends in Portage County
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Here is a voting calendar to share far and wide with Portage County voters. Click on the image to download a pdf of the calendar with active links. Then send it to family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Click here to download a jpg/photo file so you can post the calendar on your social media accounts.
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WELCOME to the newest member of the League of Women Voters of Kent: Bob Heath, Dave Kessler, Bob Howard, Don Schjeldahl, Denise Stuart, Del Tekieli, Rosi Panero Noden, Jackie Parsons, Sherry Vitone, Melanie Neff, Kim Gruenwald, Kirk Noden, Patricia Wagner and Gary Harrington.
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Thanks to members who have renewed their memberships! Still time to pay those dues! |
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Many of you have renewed your memberships and we are very appreciative. If you have yet to do that, here is the information about renewing. Visit our website at: https://my.lwv.org/ohio/kent/membership for information about membership renewals.
Writing a check?
Make your check payable to League of Women Voters of Kent. Mail to: Gail Pytel, 613 N. Willow St., Kent, Ohio, 44240.
Want to pay online?
Click here. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the form to submit and then to pay via PayPal. Please select that you are renewing your membership! Thank you!
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SAVE THE DATE . . .
DEC. 4 - Holiday Brunch! Details to come.
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Connect with us by email . . . and |
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