VOTER UPDATE SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Persistence: Stories of the Vote
Tuesday, September 29, 5:30pm
Zoom, Livestreamed to YouTube
Click here to go to the site

A collaborative event hosted by Kent State Votes, the Women’s Center, Community Engaged Learning, and the League of Women Voters of Kent, Persistence: Stories of the Vote will show two clips from the documentary The Vote, “Race v. Sex” and “Upping the Ante.”

After each clip, three panelists will reflect and discuss their experiences and the struggle to obtain the right to vote. This is meant to be light and conversational, a dinner-time discussion before the first presidential debate.
  • Introduction by Ethan Lower, Director of Governmental Affairs, Kent State Votes
  • "Race v. Sex: Beginning of the Struggle," introduced by Cassandra Pegg-Kirby* of the KSU Women's Center followed by panel with Black United Students Gabrielle Blake; Professor Denise Harrison*, Pan-African Studies; Professor Ashley Nickels, Political Science; moderated by Cassandra Pegg-Kirby
  • "Upping the Ante," announced by Barb Hipsman Springer*, followed by a panel with Tiera Moore, President of Undergraduate Student Government; Iris Meltzer*, President of the League of Women Voters of Ohio; moderated by Barbara Hipsman Springer
  • Closing remarks by Ethan Lower

*LWV Kent members
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All Member Meeting, Oct. 7


Probably in recent memory our country has not found itself so divided and so polarized while trying to sift through important issues that have become increasingly politicized. Where does that leave the League of Women Voters, an avowed nonpartisan organization?

Can we maneuver through this minefield and stay true to our purpose, "to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government and to act on selected governmental issues," and our political policy, “the League shall not support or oppose any political party or any candidate?”

Join us on October 7 as we look at historical perspectives and grapple with these issues of today. To join the Zoom meeting, click here.

Attention, new members!
New Member Orientation begins begins 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. To join the New Member Orientation (followed immediately by the AMM at the same Zoom location), click here.
KEC Virtual Fall Forum 'How to Talk about Climate Change to Inspire Action and Fight Despair' Set for Oct. 15 

Climate change is a wicked problem that can make just about anyone feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how to cope-especially during a pandemic. For climate activists, the dilemma is twofold: How do you avoid downplaying the real threat of climate change without making people feel even more overwhelmed and uncertain, and how do you move people from apathy and despair to action? Hear the answers at KEC's Virtual Fall Forum on Thursday, October 15, at 7 p.m.

The forum's speaker, Cindy Frantz, Ph.D., combines insights from psychology and new research on the impact of COVID-19 on how people think about climate change to offer concrete ideas on how to talk about climate change in a way that motivates action and fights despair.

Frantz is a social and environmental psychologist at Oberlin College and director of Oberlin's Community Based Social Marketing Research Lab, a collaborative research program that brings together faculty, students, and staff to develop, test, and promote behavior-change programs that reduce the college's carbon emissions. For more information about Frantz, click here.

The forum will be held through Zoom. To join the forum, click here. The forum starts at 7 p.m., but you can "arrive" at 6:30 p.m. if you want to socialize in to socialize in breakout rooms. See the instructions below for more details on how to access Zoom for KEC's fall forum. 

Meeting ID: 921 4592 0182
Passcode: 1970Kent
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VOTERS' GUIDE publication dates for Fall 2020
The Fall 2020 General Election Voters' Guide information will be online by Sept. 19 at vote411.org, VG editor Nena Hankins said. Local leagues are responsible for local races, including for Congress while LWVUS posts the presidential race information.

Community members will be able to find a downloadable pdf version of the Voters' Guide at the Kent League website and at the libraries after Oct. 5 to coincide with early/in-person voting.The Record-Courier will be publishing the Voters' Guide in a print edition some time before the election.
Welcome, new LWV Kent members!
League of Women Voters of Kent has hit a milestone with 200 members and now we're moving beyond! Welcome to Linda Iodone, Amelia Workman, Kimberly Johnson and Hayley Elrod.


VOTE411.org is your ‘one-stop-shop’ for election-related information
Where is my polling location? How do I vote absentee? When does early voting start? How do I register to vote? Is it too late to register to vote in November? Where can I find factual and unbiased information about the candidates and issues on the ballot this year?

If you’re puzzled about these and other election-related questions, VOTE411.org has the answers—all in one place. Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund in October of 2006, VOTE411.org provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the following aspects of the election process: absentee ballot information; ballot measure information (where applicable); early voting options (where applicable); election dates; factual data on candidates in various federal, state and local races; general information on topics such as how to watch debates with a critical eye; ID requirements; polling place locations; registration deadlines; voter qualifications; voter registration forms; and voting machines.
Dues are due! Have you paid yours?
Thank you to those who have paid their 2020-2021 dues. For those of you who have not done so, click here to pay online, or mail your check, payable to LWV Kent, to Gail Pytel, 613 North Willow, Kent, OH 44240. Dues are $60 for individuals, $30 for each additional household member, and $5 for students. We also offer a “pay what you can” option. 

Because a large portion of our dues ($57 of the $60 dues for individual members) is sent to LWV-Ohio and LWV-US to support the valuable work those organizations do on our behalf, members’ contributions, to the extent they are able, are appreciated to support our local activities. LWV Kent is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Membership dues and contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.