President’s Message
I welcomed spring by enjoying a potluck dinner and dance with Team Beginner, our friends who have been taking ballroom dancing lessons for at least 10 years, and we’re still beginners!
One of the hot topics at the event was Ohio’s redistricting debacle—still. Three times now the Ohio Supreme Court has declared the state maps unconstitutional. (As of this writing, no decision has been made about the legislative maps).
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Once again, I watched some of the testimony about the maps on the Ohio Channel. Here is what I simply do not understand. Several cogent, enlightened, nonpartisan citizens, seemingly without an agenda other than to create a fair map that follows the constitution, presented legal maps. Several. Yet, none of them was even considered. Why is that?? People put in many hours of work, using map drawing programs, to create legitimate maps. They were thanked, patted on the back (figuratively), and told to go away (also figuratively).
One of my favorite testimonials came from Ryan Brune, a Huntington Bank employee and graduate student at Ohio State University majoring in statistics. Before he discussed his map, he said that the best map that has been created is the one submitted by the League of Women Voters! Ryan presented a map on March 1 and again on March 2. Both maps met all constitutional requirements. His second map was even based on the map previously passed by the majority but with slight changes in two districts. When he finished, he was thanked “for your continued work on this. It’s very impressive.” No one on the commission even discussed Ryan’s map.
My favorite quote about the current state of affairs regarding Ohio’s attempt to continue gerrymandering comes from Tyler Buchanan, a journalist. Here is what he wrote: "It's going to be the year 2049, and we'll still see headlines like 'Ohio Supreme Court rejects 138th congressional map attempt' and 'Lawmakers seek solution for holding primary election from decades ago.'"
So where are we? As of now, the May 3 primary is going forward. There may be two primaries, at an additional cost of $20 million to $25 million. There may be one primary, pushed into a summer month.
As the Kent League, we are going ahead with our Face2Face event on April 2. See below for additional information.
Speaking of events, please plan to join us via Zoom for our April 4 All Member Meeting at 7 p.m. We will consider our positions for our upcoming program year. This is an important activity for our League.
Also, we hope to be back in person for our May meeting, Thursday, May 19.
Finally, please remember the horrors that are occurring in Ukraine. The pictures of the fleeing children are heart-wrenching. There are many legitimate web sites where you can donate. I would also ask you to check out U.S. companies that continue to do business in Russia and consider how you want to respond. Some places to look for these are Fortune.com and Washingtonpost.com.
Stay tuned for continuing adventures in Columbus, the new Wild West.
Happy spring!
In League and Unity,
Debbie
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Yes, it's happening! County candidate
forum this week on April 2!
Voters can talk in person with county candidates in contested May 3 Primary races at a forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Kent on Saturday, April 2, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The forum will be held at the Kent United Church of Christ, 1400 E. Main St., Kent. It is free and open to the public.
THANKS to our co-sponsors: Portage County NAACP, Kent Environmental Council, Kent Lions, Brimfield Lions, Kent State Votes, National Alliance on Mental Illness Portage County and the Kent State University Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Until the new Ohio legislative districts are established, the ballot will not include the races for Ohio House, Ohio Senate and the Central Committees.
Candidates for contested races for Republican and Democratic Portage County Commissioner primaries and the Republican Portage County Auditor primary will talk with voters in small groups. The candidates move from table-to-table. Voters have opportunities to ask questions directly. Candidates from uncontested races are able to attend to meet voters before or after the forum.
Citizens will also be able to register to vote, change their address and pick up an absentee ballot application at the forum. The deadline to register or make changes to vote in the Primary is April 4. Read the complete release here.
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YOU HAVE THE POWER TO PROMOTE!
Here are some tools for you to help promote the event. Add the flyer jpg to a Facebook post. Sent the pdf to family and friends. Print out the flyer and post wherever you go over the next several days. Announce it 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, hit save and the image will go into your Downloads. From there you can import into Facebook or an email.)
MEDIA RELEASE: Click here.
FLYER PDF WITH LINKS: Click here.
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VOTE411.ORG and VOTERS' GUIDE READY BY APRIL 1 |
A project of the Kent League, the local Voters' Guide will be online April 1 at https://www.vote411.org. The guide, supported by LWV Kent, allows voters to enter their addresses and see candidate and issue information.
A downloadable version of the LWV Kent Voters' Guide will be available April 1 at https://my.lwv.org/ohio/kent/voting on the League website for the first day of absentee or early voting on April 5. The Record-Courier also publishes the guide content in print and online closer to the election.
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Early voting takes place at the office of the Portage County Board of Elections, 449 S. Meridian St., Ravenna, Ohio. Here are the early voting dates and times:
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Weekdays, April 5 - April 22: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., In-person early voting
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Weekdays, April 25 - April 29: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m., In-person early voting
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Saturday, April 30: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., In-person early voting
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Sunday, May 1: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., In-person early voting
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Monday, May 2: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., In-person early voting
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Local Positions & Priorities discussion, consensus
set for April 4 at All Member Meeting
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We’re setting priorities and determining positions for the Kent League at our (hopefully) final online All Member Meeting on April 4, 7 p.m. We review our local positions through presentation and discussion, coming to consensus on whether to retain positions as they are written, drop them or update them.
The first step is to prepare! That means becoming familiar with the Kent League’s positions. You can download them by clicking here.
Kent League members will also be looking at local positions to set local priorities for action. The Zoom link for the online session is below.
Look for a reminder email at about 5:30 p.m. on April 4.
New members! Remember the New Member Orientation at 6 p.m.
Topics and Times:
New Member Orientation, 6 p.m.
All Member Meeting, 7 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 315 527 2635
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Meeting ID: 315 527 2635
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ATTENTION, MEW MEMBERS!
New Member Orientation begins April 4 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), click here at 6 p.m. If you need to join the meeting via phone, see the contact information above.
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Missed the March 8 All Member Meeting about The Haven and Kent Social Services? Here's the link! |
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Growing Democracy Project seeks submissions
of photos that represent race and democracy
in NE Ohio for local Photovoice art exhibits
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It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Those words can be your words about your community by participating in the Growing Democracy Project's Photovoice art exhibition. The goal is to better understand, engage with and incorporate community perspectives about race and democracy in Northeast Ohio. To make your voice heard, take photos that help to describe your community through a race-conscious lens. Growing Democracy suggests asking yourself two questions: What does race and democracy look like to me? Where do race and democracy in Northeast Ohio intersect?
Photovoice submissions will be reviewed by Kent State University faculty and students. Accepted submissions will be presented through a series of exhibitions this spring, offering opportunities for the broader community to view the photos and reflect on the narratives of Northeast Ohio residents. The exhibition, in tandem with a Race & Democracy film festival, aims to generate dialogue about the relationship between race and democracy and to foster deeper understanding of community perspectives.
Interested in participating? Click here.
Want to know more about the Race & Democracy in Northeast Ohio series of photo exhibitions? Click here.
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Book Club meets monthly; join the discussion! |
The next Book Club meeting is Wednesday, April 6, at 1:30 p.m., at Christine Bhargava's home, 630 Rustic Knoll, Kent. A Zoom option will be available for our snow birds and 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 April is Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds by Huma Abedin.
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Read the latest from the LWV Kent Observer Corps. Click here. Interested in an outreach activity that puts you in the rooms where it happens? Click here.
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SAVE THE DATE...All events are free except where noted
April 2 | Saturday| 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. | Face2Face County Candidate Forum | In Person | Kent United Church of Christ, 1400 E. Main St., Kent
April 4 | Monday | 6 p.m. | New Member Orientation | Online
April 4 | Monday| 7 p.m. | All Member Meeting | Local Positions & Priorities | Online
April 7 | Thursday | 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. | LWVO Statehouse Day | Online | POSTPONED
May 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | New Member Orientation | In Person | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent
May 19 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | All Member Meeting | In Person | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent
June 4 | Saturday | 9:30 a.m. | Annual Meeting Brunch | In person | Optional to bring a dish to share | Location to be determined
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Connect with us by email . . . and |
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