THE VOTER MAY 2020
Our June 6 Virtual Annual Meeting will look similar to these engaged Leaguers! Picture yourself up on the big screen.
LWVK President’s Farewell Message

Dear Friends,

Since the eve of the primary election, the ways that the League does business have been completely changed.

And yet I couldn’t be prouder of the way we have responded to the serious challenges the coronavirus pandemic has posed to our way of life and, in particular, our elections. Leading up to the election, the state League urged suspension of in-person voting, which became the outcome. The state League was a strong voice advocating for guidelines that would preserve access to the ballot for all citizens; locally, within days of issuance of election rules, we were on the streets with the Northern Portage League distributing 2,200 ballot applications throughout the county.

The Kent League Board has continued to meet via Zoom to reschedule and reorganize our activities to ensure that we seize every opportunity to continue to Make Democracy Work. And through our VOTER newsletter, we have continued to communicate to members and friends the rapid changes taking place. Several of our spring activities, including Women in Public Service, the Health Equity Study Consensus and the Annual Meeting have been or will be rescheduled, some to later times and some as virtual meetings. A special thank you to Amie Cajka and Audrey Kessler for maintaining great communication throughout this time and to our “Tech Team” Jen Kinney, Sherry Rose and Renee Ruchotzky for enabling us to meet virtually. Be alert for upcoming issues of the VOTER to learn the latest about our activities going forward, and please plan to participate in our virtual annual meeting on June 6.

Even though the drawing for the HES survey participants has closed, it is still not too late to take part in the preparation for the consensus. See below for more information. It is important for every voice to be heard on this critical and timely topic.

As planned last spring, I am resigning at the end of this program year. I’m looking forward to seeing incoming President Debbie Barber ably lead us to further growth--in membership, in reputation, but especially in service to voters. It has been my great privilege to be president of the Kent League for three years--I have gained an even fuller appreciation for the power and reputation of the League at the national, state and local levels. Our League’s reputation and success are due to the dedication of our members who act with intelligence, skill, grace and humor to accomplish so much. I sincerely thank each of you for three wonderful years.

Stay safe! Be Well!

In League,
Stacy
VIRTUAL Annual Meeting
June 6, 2020 ~ 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.


New This Year!
While we can’t gather face-to-face for the League’s Annual Meeting this year, the show must go on! In 2020, we will be meeting virtually through Zoom, an online meeting platform. The virtual meeting is a first for LWVK . . . but probably not the last!

Why Have an Annual Meeting?
The League’s Annual Meeting sets the stage for the next program year: the organization’s operating budget is approved, local program is determined, officers and directors are elected, changes to the bylaws are approved, and a general direction is given to the board. Our bylaws require that the Annual Meeting take place annually in June.


What You Need to Do to Prepare

Click here for more information about the virtual Annual Meeting and to download the materials you'll need for the meeting.


Link to Join Meeting on June 6

Below is the link to enter the Zoom meeting on June 6 starting at 9 a.m. We'll be sharing it in a few more newsletter updates and an email on June 5.

LWV Kent Annual Meeting Zoom Link
June 6th, 2020, 9:00 am - 12 noon. Join by computer, tablet, mobile device, or landline. Meeting ID: 836 2134 7031

Join Zoom Meeting on June 6th using the following link:

Don’t have a computer or a microphone? Dial in by phone:
+1 312 626 6799 US
+1 929 205 6099 US (if other line is busy)
Meeting ID: 836 2134 7031  
Update on Health Equity Study  

Thanks to the 34 LWV Kent members who completed the online surveys for the Health Equity Study (HES), a statewide League effort to develop a position on healthcare in Ohio. The drawing for those who reported the number of surveys they completed, “scouts honor,” will happen during the June 6 Virtual Annual Meeting.

The HES Committee meets this week to plan the consensus meeting that they hope will be in late summer. At that consensus meeting, Kent League members are expected to discuss and come to consensus on a set of questions that will become a "position," which is a set of principles on which local Leagues and LWVO can take action if they choose to do so.

Member participation in this step of the approval process is important because the results of each local League’s consensus on the issue is considered by the Ohio League as it works to create a statewide position. After consensus has been reached at the state level, LWVO and local Leagues can take positions on public health policy and government health programs. 
Virtual Advocacy Forum:
Making Ohio Election Ready  

Ohio's primary was chaotic and confusing for voters and Boards of Elections alike. Learn from experts how Ohio needs to improve its elections immediately to be ready for the August special election and the November general election and then get the tools you need to advocate to Ohio leaders! The online event on May 13 at 11:30 a.m. is free. To register, click here .
Farewell to Alfreda!
For those who have come to know Kent League member Alfreda Brown , you may be aware that she is retiring from her post as vice president of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Kent State University. Her many contributions to the Kent League include helping the League to establish a diversity program and serving on the Kent LWV board. Brown also served on the board of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. She and her husband will be leaving the area to relocate. You can see a tribute to Brown (in which the Kent League will participate) on May 22 at 3 p.m. here . We wish her much happiness and fulfillment in her retirement and thank her with many virtual embraces for the gifts she gave us. 
Vote by Mail in Ohio: The Best Way to Do It, video forum May 6
With a massive vote by mail effort needed for the November 2020 election, how should Ohio proceed? Hear what the following experts from Colorado, Oregon and Ohio have to say during a video forum on Wed., May 6, at 7 p.m. :

  • Amanda Gonzalez, executive director, Colorado Common Cause
  • Jen Miller, executive director, League of Women Voters of Ohio
  • Kate Titus, executive director, Common Cause Oregon
  • Catherine Turcer, executive director, Common Cause Ohio

RSVP for login information.
Gerrymandering and Ohio video forum
In 2021, district lines in all states will be redrawn. How will the results of the delayed census affect the fairness of how those lines are drawn not only in Ohio but also throughout the country? Will the lines be drawn fairly, or can efforts at gerrymandering be expected to continue?

Find out what the following national and local experts have to say during an online forum set for Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m.:

  • Michael Li, senior counsel for democracy, Brennan Center for Justice
  • Kathay Feng, national redistricting director, Common Cause (national level)
  • Jen Miller, executive director, League of Women Voters of Ohio

Catherine Turcer , executive director of Common Cause Ohio will moderate the forum. The forum is cosponsored by Common Cause Ohio and the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland.  

RSVP here for login information.
2020 Edith Chase Symposium canceled amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Kent Environmental Council has announced that the 2020 Edith Chase Symposium has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The symposium will return in 2021 on the first Friday in June. The late Edith Chase was a long-time member of both the Kent LWV and KEC, but foremost she was a fierce advocate for the environment locally and beyond.
We the Women : Online author talk
The Alice Paul Institute is presenting a Zoom video conference with Dr. Julie Chi-hye Suk  for a virtual conversation about the women who led the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment. On Saturday, May 9, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Suk will share stories from her forthcoming book  We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment . Suk is the dean for master's programs and a professor of sociology at City University of New York.  Click  here  to register. 
Shout! Poetry for Suffrage with Susanna Rich
The first installment of the Alice Paul Institute’s virtual Meet-Up Series is Shout! Poetry for Suffrage with Susanna Rich on Tuesday, May 12, at 4 p.m. Join the API and poet Susanna Rich for a toast to the centennial of women in the United States winning the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Rich will be reading a poignant poem about suffrage and the 1918 influenza pandemic and other works from her book  Shout! Poetry for Suffrage . To register, click here .
Online Exhibitions
and #InTheArchives
The Alice Paul Institute has launched an online exhibition and social media campaign to share the stories of Alice Paul and her fight to get women the right to vote. Items from archives held at the API and resources from authors and experts on Alice Paul's story will be on exhibit. Examples of items already posted on API social media sites include a rare photograph of Alice Paul with her brother Parry Paul (shown here), letters Alice wrote to her family and thank-you cards sent to Alice by a fifth-grade class. To view the exhibition, click here .
The Art of Suffrage exhibit now at Kenan Center in Lockport, NY
Alice Stokes Paul by Craig Wilson. A large format painting for The Art of Suffrage exhibit on now at the Kenan Center in Lockport, New York. If you don't know who Alice Paul is get a move on! Watch “Iron Jawed Angels” or head to the Alice Paul Institute or the Kenan Center. To learn more about the API, click here .