THE VOTER UPDATE FEBRUARY 2020

Monday, March 2, dig into local ' Positions & Priorities' discussion An annual process, Kent League members look at local positions and set local priorities for action at the beginning of the year. Join members at the March All Member Monthly on Monday, March 2, for the review and discussion. The session will start at 7 p.m. at Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent, the usual site of the AMMs. It’s a chance to recommend new studies and make comments about how we advocate locally. Check out the local positions here .  If you are a new member, it's a great overview of what the Kent League stands for locally, based on study and consensus. Check out this document to become familiar with the process: D efinitions and Things to Consider. There will be refreshments and opportunities for fellowship with members!

Links to our Voters' Guide and vote411! Click here to go to our local Voters' Guide to read online or download and print. Or check out vote411 to see your ballot and information about candidates and issues. Thank you to member Nena Hankin s and her committee for compiling the VG for each elections and entering the vote411 information. Looking for soul-worthy volunteer work with the Kent League? Consider working on the Voters' Guide. Head here to get in contact with Nena.

Join in the statewide study on population health and health services; links to study materials Thank you to members for being open to a new way of managing studies through providing much of the information online to prepare for engaging discussions! In your recent emails from us, you should have received the first of 3 communications about the new state Health Equity Study. At the League of Women Voters of Ohio’s state convention in 2017, delegates voted to undertake a new study of population health and health services in Ohio. The study will address the issues of public health and health disparities and the distribution of resources for health care. The HES Committee, headed by member Ann Ward and with the help of new member Michelle Chapman , has developed content and surveys for you to acquire a knowledge base and focus the upcoming April 14 consensus discussion. There are 7 topics to cover. The first email with 3 topics went out Feb. 23. You can access it here. The next two emails with two topics each are set to go out March 8 and 22. If you would like to see entire list of topics, links and surveys to study and complete all at once, head here to our website. Mark your calendar for the consensus at the All Member Meeting, Tuesday, April 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent. Please bring a non-perishable item to donate. 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.

Issue Endorsements of March 17 Primary ISSUE 1: 1.16 mills Kent City Renewal Tax Levy for Current Expenses  ISSUE 6: 2.36-mill bond levy for the Kent City Schools ISSUE 11: renewal tax levy of 0.49 mills for the care, placement and treatment for abused and neglected children administered by Portage County Children’s Services Find more information here and here .

Wishing a 'Happy Birthday' to the League of Women Voters from Kent members!

Get this show on the road! Know a local organization that would be interested in the LWVK Centennial presentation about local suffrage history? No fee, just lots of applause and questions welcomed! Contact Barb Hipsman at bhipsman@kent.edu or call her at 330-603-4174. We are working on a video file of the presentation by Barb and her committee to share with members. Many thanks to the committee for an amazing journey!

Census jobs still available Head here to find out more about working for the Census and to apply. The hourly wage in Portage County is $16. The Akron Area Census Office is located at 755 White Pond Drive, Suite 100, Akron. LWVK member Janice Hutchinson is attending local organizational meetings of the Complete Count Committee for Portage County, co-chaired by Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde and Portage County Auditor Janet Esposito . To watch and share the video Janice recommended, click on the link below.

Are you passionate about the environment? Are you on the Membership Committee or think you should be? Maybe take a turn on the LWVK Board? Something for everyone! Here's a rundown of the ways you can build your League legacy. Click on the titles and find more information and a way to sign-up. Thanks to Sally Saltzman for applying for board and to Beverly Timmons for joining the Environment Committee ! Applications to join the Board of Directors or be considered for an officers' position are due March 6 , 2020. Have questions? Contact Iris, chair of the Nominating Committee, at   iris.meltzer@gmail.com  or 330-329-2176 . BOARD MEMBER APPLICATION -  Consider joining the board! CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE - Leading our celebration of 100 years of women voting and the work of the LWV! COMMUNICATIONS - Like to write? Good at social media? Join the communications team! CORRESPONDING SECRETARY -  Looking for a member who helps the board keep up with communications. DIVERSITY -  This committee works to make our League a reflection of community. Join and be inspired! EDUCATION - Develop a continuing forum to address educational issues. ENVIRONMENT - Does your interest lie in helping to educate about the environment and advocate for it? Join today! FINANCE DRIVE - Crucial for League to be able to do its work. Can you help? HEALTH -  Have an interest in healthcare? Or work in the field? Looking for committee members to work on this new study. MEMBERSHIP -  Be a member of the committee that helps us thrive!  PORTAGE COUNTY JUSTICE SYSTEM -  Interested in justice system's impact locally and beyond? Help us form a committee! THE VOTER GIRL PROJECT -  This team works with Girl Scouts to help them earn citizenship badges. VOTERS' GUIDE - Help put together the community's most respected resource for voting. VOTER SERVICE - Get out there with this active committee and register/educate voters!

Cleveland Chamber Choir free concerts commemorating 50th anniversary of May 4th The Cleveland Chamber Choir will commemorate the 50th year since the May 4 shootings at Kent State University with free concerts titled "We March On! Music of Social Justice." There will be two opportunities to hear these performances: Saturday, March 7 with Kent’s Theodore Roosevelt High School ChoralWorks, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kent United Church of Christ, and Sunday, March 8 with Una Voce Musica from Oberlin Choristers, at 3 p.m. at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Cleveland.  CCC will present music that illumines injustice in the world and memorializes those who are working to make the world a better place. Works featured include Joel Thompson’s shocking "The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed." The Chamber Choir will also premiere a new commission which draws moving imagery from the Pulitzer Prize-winning iconic photo of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the body of Kent State student Jeffrey Miller. A portion of the free-will donations will go toward Women For Women Ohio in honor and memory of their founder Helen Tremaine Gregory, who also co-founded the Kent Choral Society. Women for Women Ohio is a Kent-based non-profit focused on supporting the education of girls in Cambodia.

Akron Symphony Orchestra and its 'Stand Beside Her' project concert March 28 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 .

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.

Connect with us by email . . . and ‌ ‌ ‌