VOTER Update
January 2021
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All Member Meeting January 12
PLEASE NOTE:
New Zoom Link
Join us for the All Member Meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, January 12, at 7 p.m. We will be presenting information about an Ohio League of Women Voters’ study on arming school personnel. The study was in response to a question at the 2019 Ohio state convention: “Why are Ohio schools allowed to arm their teachers without informing the community?” A loophole in Ohio law allows this to happen. The information presented at the AMM will address questions about some of the related issues.
Leagues across the state have been asked to respond to review the research about relevant topics related to the study and then respond to five groups of questions posed by the study committee. We will present the research and questions at AMM on January 12. Please mark your calendars and join us.
MEETING MATERIALS TO REVIEW BEFORE YOU ZOOM!
The study committee has been busy gathering resources to better prepare members to understand and evaluate the issues involved in the study. The online materials have links to a number of information sources. The documents can also be downloaded. Click here to see the agenda and links. Click here to see the vocabulary list.
New Member Orientation at 6 p.m. See below for details!
Topic: LWVK All Member Monthly/New Member Orientation
Time: Jan 12, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting! NEW LINK!
Meeting ID: 893 1479 5472
Passcode: 515685
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Meeting ID: 893 1479 5472
Passcode: 515685
We'll be sending out the Zoom link again before the meeting, including the hour before the session starts.
And while you’re at it, also mark these AMM dates on your calendar:
- Wednesday, February 17, 7 p.m. – The Census: What Now?
- Wednesday March 17, 7 p.m. – Topic to be announced
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Attention, new members!
New Member Orientation begins 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), use the links above to join the zoom via video or phone.
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Saturday, February 6, 9 a.m. - Annual Positions and Priorities meeting
Thursday, March 18, 7 p.m. - Consensus meeting on the Arming School Personnel Study
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The League of Women Voters of Kent recently lost three long-time, very involved members: Lloyd O'Keefe, Jim Geisey and Kathy Hardy. Each has helped to shape our local league with their strong commitments to community and human rights.
Lloyd joined with his wife Roberta and they were one of the first couples to
have a joint membership in the League of Women Voters of Kent. Lloyd was often the lone male at meetings but his fellow members were always glad of his participation and support for voter registration and education. His obituary can be found here.
There will be a memorial service for Jim on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, 7 p.m., via Zoom. Jim was active in the League, Kent Environmental Council, Portage County NAACP and the Kent Interfaith Alliance where he fought for justice and human rights on many levels. Details about attending including the zoom link can be found here. The program for the service can be found here. His obituary is online here.
Kathy was a force for good in the community. She was a long time member of LWV, serving on board and committees over the years. As said in the obituary, she was a gracious hostess, including several meetings of the LWVK book club. Her advocacy for children and so many others in need will be missed but it sounds like her legacy will continue with some plans she had underway for children. You can read her obituary here.
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Join the League of Women Voters of Ohio for an in-depth discussion with Ohio Rep. Stephanie D. Howse (D) District 11. What are Rep. Howse’s priorities for 2021… gender pay equity, employment, etc. Click here to find out more about Rep. Howse.
WHEN: January 11, 2021 at Noon
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League of Women Voters of Ohio releases Health Equity Position
The League of Women Voters adopted and released its 2020 Health Equity Position in November, capping months of research and input from local Leagues throughout the state. Each local League was asked to study information provided by the state League, engage members in a discussion of the issues and reach a consensus on a set of questions. Advocacy by the League of Women Voters is the result of this grassroots process. Input from local Leagues ensures that the adopted position has been carefully considered by a broad range of members.
Click here to read the new position in full.
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Thanks to the Health Study Committee for coordinating our local League’s input on the LWVO’s Health Equity Position. The committee does important work, and you can be part of that effort. New members are welcome—and needed. To sign up and/or find our more about the committee, click here.
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LWVK is a co-sponsor of the annual event hosted by the Portage County NAACP on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Expect to be among hundreds who come out for the prayer breakfast to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Click on the image or here to register. Click here to download the flyer.
DYK?
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States. The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic right of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
The organization focuses on six issues: economic sustainability, education, health, public safety and criminal justice, voting rights and political representation, and expanding youth and young adult engagement. For information about the Portage County NAACP, click here.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST
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Monday, January 25, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST
Mapmaking in 2021. Community Mapping and Mapmaking w/DistrictR
Join Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition, League of Women Voters of Ohio and Common Cause Ohio online for an opportunity to talk about community mapping and also a tutorial on DistrictR, public software developed by MGGG Redistricting Lab, a research group at Tufts University. Suzanne Almedia of Common Cause will lead a discussion about the benefits of community mapping and then provide a demonstration of the software. Link to the Facebook Event here. The RSVP link to register is here. Produced by Fair Districts Coalition
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LWVK Education Committee renews call for action after Ohio
General Assembly runs out of time to pass new bipartisan
funding formula for public schools
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Thanks to all LWVK members who joined the Education Committee's letter-writing campaign urging members of the Ohio House and Senate to approve House Bill 305. The bipartisan legislation would have rewritten Ohio’s K-12 funding formula to include both property values and family incomes, eliminate exceptions to the formula known as “caps” and “guarantees,” increase funding for busing and economically disadvantaged students and pay charter schools directly.
"House Bill 305 was clearly supported in the House, but the Ohio Senate won't consider a new school-funding plan this year that was OK’d 84-8 by the House," said LWVK Education Committee Chair Deborah Austin Sanders. In the New Year, she added, the committee will be redoubling its efforts regarding HB 305 and counting again from League members to be sure the bill is passed in the next legislative session. "Join us to make our voice heard and get the work done," said Austin. "The General Assembly needs to pass this critical legislation. With everyone's help, we can make it happen."
Ready to send your letters, postcard and emails now? Click here to go to the November newsletter with contact information for area state senators.
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Real Talk program on diversity, equity and inclusion
set for February 17 and 24
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The Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) continues to participate in Real Talk Diversity Equity and Inclusion Program planning meetings. Real Talk is a multi-League (LWV Hudson, LWV Akron Area, LWV Kent, LWV Canton, LWV 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 next topic will be hosted by the Greater Cleveland League. The February 2021 two-night program will focus on the Ohio State Board of Education’s Resolution to Condemn Racism and to Advance Equity and Opportunity for Black Students, Indigenous Students and Students of Color. The first night of the program, February 17, will focus on the history and content of the resolution. Presenters are the four authors of the resolution. The second night of the program, February 24, will focus on how individual school systems are implementing the resolution. The Real Talk planners are finalizing which school systems will be participating and who will moderate the program.
Information about registering for the events will be in upcoming LWVK communications.
Kent LWV will host the next Real Talk series of events in April, which will focus on health care. We will incorporate the LWV Ohio’s new Health Equity position. If you are interested in joining the DEI Committee, participating in planning for the February Real Talk programs, or helping with the April Real Talk program, contact one of the following League members: Sally Saltzman, Amie Cajka or FayAnn Sebaly.
Real Talk is hosted by League of Women Voters of Ohio in partnership with the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, Common Cause, All Voting Is Local, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, OhioVotes, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, LWV Hudson, LWV Greater Cleveland, LWV Akron Area, LWV Kent, LWV Canton Area and LWV Oberlin Area.
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Voter Service Committee wraps up another year
of educating, empowering voters while laying
the groundwork for an LWVK observer corps
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Happy holidays to all of you from Voter Services Co-Chairs Jill Hazelton and Jen Kinney! We want to wish you well going into the new year but also give a big thank you for your creative and undeterred efforts to register, educate and empower voters in 2020! Thanks to everyone who volunteered at events, passed out materials, made connections with local businesses and organizations, packed voter information packets, distributed packets, registered voters and helped voters cast absentee ballots. Your efforts truly impacted the community and demonstrated the power of democracy is stronger than any pandemic. Thank you!
As we head into next year, we want to keep the momentum going and line up some voter service volunteer opportunities. One such idea is the formation of an observer corps, a group of volunteers that attends local government and planning meetings and reports to the League membership on what was discussed and/or voted on. Observer corps bring transparency to local government, help keep the public informed and help to hold elected officials accountable to their constituents. With many committees and councils going virtual, this could be a way to volunteer from the comfort of your own home.
The Voter Services Committee would like to see what the interest is in serving on an observer corps, initially focusing on Kent City Council meetings and Portage County Commissioner meetings. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more, click on Jill or Jen's names to email them.
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As a reminder, we will be restarting our Voter Service Committee meetings in February, continuing with the virtual format. More information to follow on dates and links! |
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Connect with us by email . . . and |
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