THE VOTER JANUARY 2020

Leaguers from Kent, Northern Portage and Akron Area marched in the 2019 Kent State University Homecoming Parade last fall to celebrate 100 years of women voting.

LWVK President’s Message Dear Friends, Happy New Year! What a great year for celebrating the 100th anniversary of U.S. Women’s Suffrage (Aug. 26) and founding of LWVUS (Feb. 14). The Kent League has festivities planned for both! At the same time, we have the awesome and challenging responsibility of Making Democracy Work . Along with leagues across the country, we are in action to register, educate and advocate! While acting as a PEO* for the last election, I approached a woman waiting near the door to offer my help. She said, “No, I’m waiting for my husband. I tell him to read about the candidates ahead of time, but he never does.” When I asked about her resource for candidate information, she replied, “Oh, I use the League of Women Voters—if you can’t trust them who can you trust?” I believe that our reputation for doing the hard work of research, study and consensus to define our positions makes our word widely respected and trusted in our communities and beyond. This spring is chock full of opportunities to contribute your voice to those positions. On Feb.15, we will review LWVUS positions and action priorities; we will discuss these positions and decide whether they should be retained, updated, or dropped and what the highest priority items are. On March 2, we will use the same process with our local positions. Also this spring, we will be coming together for information and consensus on two new topics: an LWVO Health Equity Study and an Elections Process Study to be addressed at the Feb.15 P&P meeting. Whom can we trust? This League work is what makes and keeps the League THE trusted source for diverse, thoughtful and reliable information for voters. Please, attend and participate in these important activities to develop new positions and maintain the relevance of existing ones that form the basis for all of our advocacy and secure our reputation! In League, Stacy *PEO stands for Precinct Election Official, and there is a critical need for them to staff the March 17 primary. Terrie Nielsen , deputy director of the Portage County Board of Elections writes, “League members are always willing to ensure democracy. What better way to do that than by being a poll worker?” Please go to the BOE website , or call the office at 330-297-3511 to volunteer.

LWVK Centennial Committee debuts its traveling presentation Our A ll Member Meeting for February will be our local celebration of the League of Women Voter’s Centennial. Please join us on Wed., Feb. 12, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Kent State University Women’s Center, Williamson House, 1200 Main St., Kent. The Women’s Center is our co-sponsor for the evening. The Centennial Committee will premier a member-created PowerPoint entitled “Susan B, Carrie C and Lake Brady? The League of Women Voters Not-So-Simple Fight for Suffrage.” It’s free, and refreshments will be provided. Please bring an appetizer. Download the invitation here . Also donations of feminine hygiene products for the center would be appreciated. Interested in joining the exciting Centennial Committee? Head to this page on our website to sign up!

Get this show on the road! Know a local organization that would be interested in the LWVK Centennial presentation? No fee, just lots of applause and questions welcomed! Contact Barb Hipsman at bhipsman@kent.edu or call her at 330-603-4174. Text Link

LWVK Positions & Priorities is set with two dates for discussions  We’re setting priorities and determining positions as a national organization and at home this year. The meeting to discuss national priorities and positions is Sat., Feb. 15, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Kent Free Library, 312 W. Main St., Kent. Bring breakfast items to share. Coffee and tea will be provided. In even-numbered years, we look at national positions and are given the opportunity to make our voices heard in developing and refining the positions that LWVUS delegates will be voting on at the national convention in June. The first step is to prepare! That means becoming familiar with the U.S. League’s positions and the method for changing, adding or dropping positions. Check out these documents to get a head start:  Position Summaries and D efinitions and Things to Consider. Following the meeting, we will report to the U.S. League any actions that, by consensus, we recommend go to the convention for consideration. If you want to dig further into the U.S. League’s positions, you can read the full Impact on Issues 2019-2020 here .   Local Positions & Priorities set for March 2 at All Member Monthly  Using the same process, Kent League members will look at local positions and set local priorities for action. The session will be Mon., March 2, at Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent, the usual site of the AMMs, 7 p.m. It’s a chance to recommend new studies and make comments about how we advocate locally. Check out the local positions here .

This is your opportunity to talk one-on-one with the candidates running in the March primary election. Ask questions. Share your views. Become an informed voter! Our co-sponsors are the Portage County NAACP and the Kent Environmental Council. Have a place to post the flyer? Download here . The LWV Kent Voter Services Committee organizes the candidate forums and registers voters all year long. Interested in joining their efforts? Click here to sign up!

MORE NEWS FROM LWV KENT

Statewide Study on population health and health services; link to study materials Delegates to League of Women Voters of Ohio’s state convention in 2017 voted to undertake a new study of population health and health services in Ohio, called the Health Equity Study. The study will address the issues of public health and health disparities and the distribution of resources for health care. Health services include health care, public health and the creation of environments in which people have the opportunity to be healthy. A statewide committee developed study materials to be used by local Leagues and consensus questions that may lead to new positions. The consensus is due to LWVUS by May 1. We’ll have meeting dates very soon. In the meantime, we are providing you with materials so you can prepare for the consensus process. Please take time to review study materials: LWVO Health Equity Study: Definitions and Fact Sheets  Interested in helping to present this topic to members? Join the committee, and learn the study process from the get-go! Email Ann Ward , committee chair, or call her at 330-285-0899.

Sunday Funday is Feb. 2! Are you ready for some football, friends and food!? You do not need to know whether a football is blown or stuffed or which teams are playing! Nor do you need to understand pass interference or illegal man downfield . . . all you need to know is how to have a great time with fellow League members! You (and a guest) are invited to LWVK's SUPER BOWL PARTY on Sun., Feb. 2, beginning at 6 p.m. at the home of Jim and Janine Button (1420 Rustic Bridge Drive, Kent, Ohio 44240). The Buttons will once again be providing their WONDERFUL chili! Please bring an appetizer to share! This is a BYOB event! If you have any questions, email Sherry Rose. We look forward to seeing you on Sun., Feb. 2!

LWV Kent endorses Issue 6 for the Kent City Schools; public talks with the superintendent planned The LWV Kent Board of Directors voted to endorse Issue 6, a 2.36-mill bond levy for the Kent City Schools, which is on the March primary ballot. Passage of the issue would continue the collection of funds that had been generated by bond issues originally passed 20 years ago but are now expiring. Thank you to the Education Committee, headed by board member Deborah Austin Sanders , which did the research for the endorsement. You can find their report here . And thanks to board member Renee Ruchotzke for writing a letter to the editor on behalf of the League outlining the endorsement. Click here to read the letter. Coffee and Conversation with Kent City School Superintendent George Joseph Topic: 2.36-Mill Bond Issue for Kent City Schools, Not a New Tax Wed., Jan. 22, at 8:30 a.m. in the back room at Little City Grill, 802 North Mantua St., Kent Wed., Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. in the Woodward Room, 2nd floor of the Kent Free Library The bond issue is Issue 6 on the March 17 ballot for Kent City School District voters.Find more information here . Interested in joining the very active Education Committee? Go to this page on your website to sign up!

LWV Kent endorses Issue 11 for Portage County Children's Services The Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Kent has endorsed Issue 11, a renewal tax levy of 0.49 mills for the care, placement and treatment for abused and neglected children. Funds from the five-year levy are administered by Portage County Children’s Services. Local issue endorsements are based on League positions at the national, state and local levels. The LWV Kent board looked at the national position on social policy to endorse Issue 11. The national League's position begins of page 87 of the report Impact on Issues 2018-2020: A Guide to Public Policy Positions . The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that early intervention and prevention measures are effective in helping children reach their full potential. The League supports policies and programs at all levels of the community and government that promote the well-being, encourage the full development and ensure the safety of all children. These include:   Child abuse/neglect prevention Teen pregnancy prevention Quality health care, including nutrition and prenatal care Early childhood education Developmental services, emphasizing children ages 0-3 Family support services Violence prevention

Here's how you can say 'I love elections!' on social media Use these graphics as covers on your social media to let everyone know you love elections! Right click on the image and then click on "Save image as" in the window. Save to a file on your computer, and then upload to your social media, such as Facebook for your cover image.

LWV Ohio neutral on gun loophole petitions; how it affects local leagues January 2020 Dear Board Members of local Leagues, It is not surprising that many of you are interested in supporting the petition efforts to place an initiative to close gun loopholes on the ballot in 2021. Certainly, the issue itself is one that is consistent with our positions and we are past masters at petitioning. . . . To read more, click here .

About the 2020 U.S. census LWVK member Janice Hutchinson is attending local organizational meetings for the U.S. Census, which begins April 1. Excerpts from her report: Complete Count Committee for Portage County was formed by County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde and will be co-chaired by Clyde and Portage County Auditor Janet Esposito. Kent State University has its own Complete Count Committee. The Kent Area Chamber of Commerce is focusing on getting the word out about the importance of a complete census. The Portage County Complete Count Committee will provide marketing pieces, speakers and other resources to representative groups. The U.S Census Bureau’s grand opening of the Akron Area Census Office at 755 White Pond Drive, Suite 100, Akron, takes place on Jan. 23. This site manages recruiting and field operations for all of Summit, Portage, Lake, Columbiana, Mahoning, Trumbull, Geauga and Ashtabula counties.

Janice provided a link to video about completing the census. To watch and share the video, click on the link below.

Are you passionate about the environment? The LWVK Land Use Committee study is back in action! We are looking to add the environment as a stakeholder to be considered as part of our Land Use study and position. If you are passionate about this topic, we hope you will join us! Please send an email , Facebook message or text with your interest to Renee Ruchotzke , or call or text her at  330-554-0828.

Do you want to get more involved with local environmental issues? The Kent Environmental Council is hosting a networking event for local leaders and organizations interested in networking and finding synergies on Feb. 17, and you are invited! For more information, click here .

Are you on the Membership Committee or think you should be? The beginning of each new year is a good time to reorganize, refocus and set resolutions (intentions) for the rest of the year! Membership Chairperson Sherry Rose is taking time this new year to reorganize and refocus the Membership Committee and invites you to join! The current committee members are Fay Ann S. , Chris S. , Mary M. , Alice H. , Janine B. and Kathy W. These wonderful members bring you the All Member Monthly meetings, roster changes, Super Bowl Party, RubberDucks event, membership outreach and much, much more! If this sounds right up your alley and you’re interested in joining the Membership Committee, email Sherry Rose.

The Portage County Board of Elections needs YOU! The Portage County Board of Elections is looking for registered voters with party affiliations to work the polls on March 17. There are training sessions for which you are paid $20. The hours on Election Day are from 5:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The pay is $120. The BOE is looking for people who are interested in helping make Democracy work. If you are interested, call 330-297-3511. Thank you!! For more information, click here .

See 'Harriet' Feb. 11 at the Kent Free Library The Kent Free Library is showing the acclaimed movie “Harriet” about the extraordinary life of Harriet Tubman on Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m. Free admission. No registration required Then on Tues., Feb. 25, The Rev. Julie Fisher , pastor of Christ Episcopal Church in Kent who has studied Tubman’s life, will lead a discussion at 7 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Kent Interfaith Alliance (KIFA). Also free. Tubman was an enslaved person, who attained her freedom and became an abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, a Civil War scout and suffragist.

LWVO Statehouse Day April 16 Save the date! You won't want to miss this informative annual event where League members spend the day at the Ohio Statehouse visiting legislators, getting updates from LWV Ohio and developing their advocacy skills. Want to ride with someone? Call Jane Preston Rose at 330-678-9127.

Women in Public Service event April 25 Another save-the-date! Local environmental activist Lynn Vogel is this year’s speaker for our annual Conversations with Women in Public Service. Each year, the Saturday afternoon event provides members with opportunities to hear from women who are committed to working for community and civic progress. Details will be shared soon.

Akron Symphony Orchestra and its Stand Beside Her project concerts The Akron Symphony Orchestra is proud to continue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment with its Stand Beside Her project. During the 2019-2020 season, the ASO will be featuring the music of six women composers across its Classic Series concerts. LWV Kent and other area leagues have been invited to set up a booth in the lobby at E.J. Thomas Hall before the Appalachian Spring Classic Series concert on March 28. League members are encouraged to attend. Tickets can be ordered here .

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