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President’s Message

Fall is officially here, and it feels like it. We just turned on our furnace, which I try so hard not to do until November 1. These old bones aren’t as resilient as they used to be.

The ability to vote isn’t as resilient as it used to be either. A friend I visited in Franklin County over the weekend said that she was thinking about voting early for the November election but was reluctant to do so because she would have to drive a one-hour round trip to get to the board of elections on Morse Road. That’s way north. I recently checked statistics about voter suppression laws and found that 33 states have enacted 50 laws to make voting more difficult than it was in 2020—you know, that year there was no voter fraud.

I hope you have been listening to the back and forth about debates between the Democratic and Republican candidates for Ohio governor and the Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. senator from Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine refuses to debate Nan Whaley and J.D. Vance has only recently agreed to debate Tim Ryan. These debates will be held October 10 in Cleveland, hosted by Fox 8 News, and October 17 in Youngstown, hosted by WMFJ, a local TV station.

Speaking of debates, please don’t miss the League’s Face2Face local candidate forum on Saturday, October 8, at 9 a.m. at the Kent United Methodist Church. We need you! This is one of the events that our League does best. We have invited 13 candidates, and we need you to help as table facilitators, with check-in, and most of all, to participate in the process of getting to know candidates and their positions on issues that are important to you. Please plan to be there!

One other very important voter item. You probably know that there are some truly critical Ohio Supreme Court races that will be on your ballot. The current balance on the court is four Republicans and three Democrats. This year is the first time that party affiliations will be listed for the judicial candidates. The court received a lot of media coverage over this year’s redistricting disaster, with important rulings coming from Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who will retire at the end of the year. The two judges running to replace O’Connor are Jennifer Brunner (D) and Sharon Kennedy (R). Please become familiar with these justices’ platforms, and vote as informed citizens.

Get ready to vote by becoming acquainted with the candidates and their positions and making certain you are registered. The last day to register is October 11, and early voting begins October 12.

See you at F2F on October 8.

In League, Unity and Equality,

Debbie

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

We now have more than 200 members! LWV Kent is one of the largest LWV chapters in Ohio.

John Schinker, Leanne Biltz, Kathryn Wilson, Tiffany Holler, Dominique Kokoszka, Janet Noden, Jennifer Adams, Colleen Grager, Jennifer Larson, Barbara Werstler, Claudia Amrhein and Jack Amrhein

LWV Kent and community groups host Oct. 8 Face2Face Candidate Forum

Voters can talk in person with candidates running in the 2022 general election at the Voters & Candidate Face2Face forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Kent on Saturday, October 8, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The forum will be held in Pierson Hall of Kent United Methodist Church, 1435 E. Main St., Kent. Map link. It is free and open to the public. Co-sponsors are the Portage County NAACP, the Kent Environmental Council, the Kent Lions, the Brimfield Lions, Kent State Votes, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Portage County, and the Kent State University Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Candidates from the following races have been invited: U.S. Congress, 14th district; Portage County commissioner; Portage County auditor; State representative, 72nd district; State Board of Education, 9th district; Portage County Court of Common Pleas, General Division; and Portage County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations.

Attendees will also be able to register to vote, change their address and pick up an absentee ballot application. The deadline to register to vote or make changes to an existing voter registration before the general election is October 11. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is November 5.

The local Voters' Guide, which is compiled by Kent League members, will be available by October 12 at VOTE411.org. With the online guide (supported by LWV Kent), you can enter your address and view information about the candidates and issues that will be on your ballot.

A downloadable version of the LWV Kent Voters' Guide will be available October 12 on the League’s website. The Record-Courier also publishes a print and online version of the guide closer to election day. For the most up-to-date information about the election, go to the Portage County Board of Elections website.

YOU have the power to PROMOTE!

Here are some tools and how you can use them to help promote the League’s Face2Face candidate forum on October 8.

Add the flyer image (.jpg) to a Facebook post.
Send the media release (.pdf) or the flyer with active links (.pdf) to family and friends.
Print the flyer, and post it wherever you go over the next several days.
Announce the forum at your next group meeting.

Flyer image: Click here. (Right click on the image, and then click on "Save image as" or "Save as." In the new window, click save, and the image will go into your Downloads folder. From there, you can import the image into Facebook or an email.)

Media release: Click here.

Flyer pdf with active links: Click here.

Questions? Send an email here, or call 330-271-6188.

It's election time! Rev up your voter service mojo!

Get your mojo going! There’s still a lot to do before the November election. Join us at the October All Member Meeting for an evening of hands-on activities that can make a difference before election day. Here is what you can do:

Learn more about VOTE411 by joining us for a tour of the VOTE411 site. By the end of the tour, you should be able to talk with family and friends more confidently about the upcoming election.
Help the LWVUS effort to spread the word about VOTE411 to voters in Portage County and across the country. Grab a stack of VOTE411 information postcards (and the stamps and address labels to go with them), and get them ready for mailing to voters in Portage County by the end of the AMM. (Statistics show that when the League reaches out personally to voters, more voters show up to vote).
Learn how (or be reminded of) how to leverage your personal communications to promote voting. We'll look at using the League’s social media accounts, your own social media accounts, and the League’s voter education images and files to communicate with family and friends. And we’ll review some longtime, tried-and-true communication methods, such as flyers on church bulletin boards.
Learn about election protection and how you can help. Grab a yard sign imprinted with a QR code for registering to vote (deadline Oct. 11). Place the sign in a highly visible location.

Curious about what your league has done so far? Your Voter Service Committee will share it all with you at the Oct. 12 meeting!

ATTENTION, NEW MEMBERS!

New Member Orientation begins Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.!

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. The All Member Meeting will follow at 7 p.m. at Kent Social Services, located at 1066 S. Water St., Kent, Ohio.

Attending the Oct. 12 meeting? Please consider bringing nonperishable food items for Kent Social Services. A special request is for peanut butter and ramen noodles. Thank you, good people!

Dominique Kokoszka, left, is the recipient of LWV Kent's Helen Dix Scholarship for 2022. She is also a new member. She attended the Kick-Off event and is here with, left to right, LWV Kent President Debbie Barber, board member Jane Preston Rose who is on the scholarship committee and Treasurer Gail Pytel.

Scholarship Committee announces award

Dominique Kokoszka, this year's recipient of LWV Kent's Helen Dix Scholarship, is a graduate of Miami (OH) University where she double majored in kinesiology and economics with a minor in gerontology. Beginning as an undergraduate and following graduation, she served as a firefighter/emergency medical technician for the Oxford Fire Department as well as an emergency room technician at Miami Valley Hospital.

In 2021, she enrolled in Kent State's accelerated nursing program and expects to earn her BSN in December. She is looking forward to working in ICU's with patients who require complex management. Congratulations, Dominique! Many of members had an opportunity to meet her at the opening kick-off and look forward to her participation in LWVK activities while she is in Kent.

We thank the Scholarship Committee, board member Jane Preston Rose, LWV Kent President Debbie Barber and LWV Kent Treasurer Gail Pytel, for sustaining the program, which honors one of our founding members, Helen Dix. Helen was a champion for education and has left a legacy of support for the community. Want to know more about the scholarship fund? Email Jane here.

Book Club keeps the pages turning! Here's what's on the shelf for November and December.

The next Book Club meeting is Wednesday, November 2, at 1:30 p.m. A Zoom option will be available for those who would prefer not to meet in person. All are welcome to join. Contact Jane Preston Rose for details about the meetings. Click here to email her.

The selection for November is Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History by Jeff Nussbaum.

Coming up in December . . . Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom by Carl Bernstein.

VOTE411.org and Voters' Guide ready by Oct. 12 for Early Voting

A downloadable version of the LWV Kent Voters' Guide will be available October 12. Access it here. The Record-Courier also publishes a print and online version of the guide closer to election day.

Early voting starts Oct. 12 at Portage

County Board of Elections

Early voting for the November general election starts October 12 at the Portage County Board of Elections, 449 S. Meridian St., Ravenna. Here are the early voting dates and times:

Weekdays, Oct. 12-Oct. 28: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Weekdays, Oct. 31-Nov. 4: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 5: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6: 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 7: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information about the election, go to the Board of Elections website, or call 330-297-3511.

Committees now organizing!

Have an interest in the justice system? Or how our League is working to be diverse? Committees are now organizing and could use your participation. Click on the links and read about the committees and their goals. There are forms to send the chair persons an email about your interest. Click below.

Diversity Committee

Portage County Justice System

In case you missed it: Fall Kickoff Meeting recap

Those in attendance at the LWV Kent Fall Kickoff meeting enjoyed an informative presentation about controversial presidential elections from Kent City Councilman Jack Amrhein, a former longtime social studies teacher at Kent Roosevelt High School. You can hear a YouTube recording of Amrhein's presentation here or click below.

Some photo highlights from the kickoff meeting . . .

Controversial Presidential Elections:

Been Happening for Years

Presentation by Jack Amrhein.

Audio file only.

Audio of LWV Kent Kick-off by Jack Amrhein Controversial Presidential Elections

There's still time to pay dues!

2022-2023 League of Women Voters of Kent dues were due July 1, 2022. Dues may be paid by check, payable to LWV Kent and mailed to Gail Pytel, Treasurer, 4578 Creekside Drive, Kent, OH 44240 or on-line at Membership | MyLO (lwv.org). LWV Kent is a 501(c)(3); membership dues and contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Dues are: $60 for individual members. $90 for two household members; $5 for students. LWV Kent also has a "pay what you can" option. Read more at the Membership page.

SAVE THE DATE...All events are free except where noted

Oct 8 | Saturday | Face2Face Candidate Forum | 9 a.m. |

In Person, Open to Public | Kent United Methodist Church, 1435 E. Main St., Kent

Oct 12 | Wednesday | New Member Orientation | 6 p.m. |

In Person | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent

Nov 15 | Tuesday | New Member Orientation |

6 p.m. | In Person | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent

Nov 15 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | All Member Meeting |

In Person | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent

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