Joy! Joy! Joy! The season opens
with our Annual Holiday Brunch!
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Registration process improved! | |
Join us for the LWV Kent Holiday Brunch and speaker on Saturday, December 7, at Laziza in downtown Kent. It is ALWAYS a festive, welcoming and informative event that members anticipate with delight. Laziza is located at 195 E. Erie St., Kent.
Brunch starts at 9 a.m. followed by a presentation at 9:45 a.m. The cost is $30 per person (some fees applied depending on payment method) for brunch for League members and their guests. Attending the presentation is free. But reservations are required for all. Reservations and payments are due by Nov. 29.
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About Our Speaker
This year's featured speaker is J. Cherie Strachan (at right) professor of political science and director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
Her political science research combines interests in political participation, voluntary civic and political organizations, and political communication. Recent work explores the #MeToo movement and women’s political ambition as well as the effects of partisan polarization, rudeness, and civility on political engagement. Her applied civic engagement pedagogy research focuses on facilitating student-led deliberative discussion sessions and on enhancing the political socialization that occurs within campus student organizations.
Strachan also is co-author of the textbook Why Don’t Women Rule the World? and co-editor of Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond, which was published by the American Political Science Association. Strachan earned a Ph.D. from SUNY Albany (2000), an M.A. degree from the University of Akron (1994) and a B.A. degree from Murray State University (1992). To learn more about Strachan, click here.
Making Reservations
The cost per person is $30 by mail and includes tax and tip. When using PayPal or Venmo the cost is $31.25 per person, which includes tax, tip and processing fee for use of those transaction apps. There is a form to complete and return by mail or email.
For access to the reservation form, detailed event information and the links for paying online, click here.
Members interested in attending only the presentation should arrive before 9:45 a.m. You can complete this form by clicking here or email us here. The deadline for seat-only reservations is Nov. 29.
Have questions? Email us here or call us at 330-271-6188.
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Members laid it all on the line for Issue 1
and voter registration in 2024
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With the 2024 general election receding in the mirror behind us, the League’s work on voter registration, voter education, voting access and Issue 1 promotion deserves a huge cheer! With so many of us volunteering, a staggering amount of work has been done. President Sherry R led our local efforts, organizing and speaking and so much more! |
Barb H led the charge at Kent State University, working with KSU staffer and LWV Kent member Craig B and an updated and energized Kent State Votes organization. They laid the groundwork for registering the KSU community by obtaining additional buy-in from faculty to incorporate voting and elections into their curricula, securing support from the administration for extensive coverage with university communications, and training resident assistants and other student leaders to register voters and promote voting.
Springer recruited more than 100 Kent League volunteers to work at campus events and to staff a registration table two days a week in the KSU Library, amounting to about 400 volunteers hours where we distributed more than 8,500 of the League’s “Vote 1-2-3 cards.” Organizations, including the League, registered over 1,000 students, doubling the registrations for the last two elections. Our deepest thanks to the staff at KSU Libraries for their unfailing support.
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Leading the incredibly successful Fair Districts petition signature drive in Portage County were Anne R and Iris M. They organized 95 LWV Kent members and other volunteers to collect 5,300 signatures.
Iris went on to lead the Portage County Citizens Not Politicians YES on ISSUE 1 drive. We had 90 members and partners touting YES on 1 at the Haymaker Farmers’ Market, at honk-and-wave events and at other activities. Sixty of our valiant colleagues were on the front lines of early voting and on Election Day. They all came back alive!
League members distributed hundreds of “Vote Yes” cards, planted yard signs, made and distributed hundreds of buttons and Post-it notes, and wrote and mailed 1,000 postcards to voters. League members also made several presentations about the fair-districts amendment and distributed “Vote Yes” cards at the Haymaker Farmers’ Market and during early voting hours at the Portage County Board of Elections.
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In addition to all of the above, the Voter Service Committee, led by Stacy Y and Jill H, and many more League members tended to our usual election season activities in the community.
These activities included bringing voter-registration forms and absentee-ballot request forms and voting-information materials to the Reed Memorial and Kent Free libraries, to the NAACP, and to other community events. For example, the League had a table at various Juneteenth events, the Kent Heritage Festival, Kent City’s Art in the Park, Haymaker Farmers’ Market, Flashes First Thursday, and Sober October. At these events, 66 volunteers spent 350 hours staffing the tables, sharing registration and voting information, and distributing 1,000 2-inch by 3-inch date cards, 2,000 “Vote 1-2-3 cards,” and 600 “Power the Vote” cards. Volunteer assignments were coordinated by Jill, Sign-up Genius Czarina.
Just before the start of early voting, we held another successful Face2Face event; seven of 12 invited contested candidates participated, and 2 of 5 uncontested candidates attended and introduced themselves. Ninety community members took advantage of this opportunity to meet the candidates and hear their responses to questions posed by fellow voters.
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League member Amie C created ads pertaining to voter registration, voter information, VOTE411 and Issue 1. She also managed the distribution and frequent ongoing publication of the ads on Kent Wired and in The Portager, the Record-Courier, The Villager, and on a variety of social media platforms. The ads included a link to the League’s website. A total of 5,500 visitors viewed the League’s web pages more than 12,000 times between Sept. 14 and Nov. 6. Amie was backed up on the website and Facebook by Audrey K, on Instagram and TikTok by Katie B and on Canva by Jordan C.
The Voter’s Guide/VOTE411 Committee, led by Nena H, produced and helped to distribute the guide countywide while uploading Portage County information to Vote 411.
Kent League members contributed a total of $12,750 to LWVO in support of YES on ISSUE 1: Barb T, Jane P, Stacy Y, Jill H, Amie C, Jane C, Jackie P,Terry M, Rhonda R, Brian B, Roberta O, Iris M, Becky M, Barb H, Sara A, Barb H, Bob S, Anne R, Joan S, Barb W, Sue L,Terrie N, Marcia H, Lorraine M, Pam L, Judy M, Janice M, Karen C, Diane S, Vera B, Michelle C, Kate W, Gail P, Renee R, Penny G, John G and Chrystal S. (If we've left anyone off of the list, please let us know at lwvkent@gmail.com and apologies!)
Many thanks to all who worked so diligently this election season! Your efforts are appreciated!
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#VoterGirl24 was a blast at GSNEO Camp Ledgewood | |
LWV Kent members and volunteers welcomed more than 170 Girl Scouts and 80 scout leaders and parents to the seventh annual VOTER Girl Project at Camp Ledgewood near Peninsula on Nov. 9. We had the youngest scouts, Daisies, and Brownies, Juniors and Cadettes. They earned citizenship badges and an experience patch from the League of Women Voters. To see more photos of The VOTER Girl Project Day at Camp Legwood, click here. Thank you to our VGP corps of volunteers!
Were you a Girl Scout? Have experience working with kids? Or just think it looks like a lot of fun? We would love to have you! Voter Girl is held on the 2nd Saturday of November each year! Contact Sherry R or Amie C for more information at lwvkent@gmail.com.
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A message from LWVO Executive Director
Jen Miller after the Issue 1 loss
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Dear League family,
While the results are not what we hoped for, we will never give up on bringing fair representation to all Ohioans. In spite of the onslaught of disinformation and efforts to mislead voters, millions of Ohioans across the state and representing all political identities voted YES for a future where everyone is fairly represented and politicians can be held accountable. To everyone who stood with us—our supporters, volunteers, donors, and coalition partners—thank you. Your commitment and courage to stand for a fairer system means everything. Although we did not prevail this time, we’ll keep fighting for the fair representation each and every Ohioan deserves, and we stand with voters, always. Under no circumstance is this the end of our campaign—it’s just the beginning. Stay tuned. Together we will bring fairness to Ohio.
ViewLWVO Executive Director Jen Miller’s statement on the results for Issue 1 here.
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LWV Kent Book Club members keep on reading! |
The LWV Kent Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at Hudson Grande Senior Living, 5400 Darrow Road, Hudson. All are welcome to join. Email Jane PR for details about the meetings.
Here are the selections for fall and early winter:
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November 20 – Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future by Jason Stanley | |
December 18 – Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House and the World by Jen Psaki | |
January 15 – Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson | |
February 19 – Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power by Susan Page | |
SAVE THE DATE . . . All events are free except where noted
Nov 20 | Wednesday | 1:30 p.m. | LWV Kent Book Club | Click here to email for details.
Dec 7 | Saturday | 9 a.m. | Holiday Brunch | Laziza, 195 E. Erie St., Kent | Details are in this newsletter. Cost for brunch is $30 per person by mail. Cost using payment apps differ due to processing fees.
Dec 18 | Wednesday | 1:30 p.m. | LWV Kent Book Club | Click here to email for details.
Jan 6 | Monday | 7 p.m. | All Member Meeting | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent
Jan 15 | Wednesday | 1:30 p.m. | LWV Kent Book Club | Click here to email for details.
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