SHARE:  

LWV Kent member Barb Hipsman Springer and granddaughter June make the case to find 8 NO voters for August 8. Share with family and friends! Miss June steals the show!

President’s Message


“The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation at the local, state, and national levels.”


These words not only grace the landing page for LWVUS, but they also define our mission, represent our purpose, and exemplify the very roots of our organization established in 1920: “The League of Women Voters was formed to help twenty (20) million women carry out their new responsibilities as voters.”


While the times have certainly changed, our mission remains steadfast: to protect and expand voting rights, empower voters and defend democracy. 


It is no secret our direct democracy is under attack. The sanctity of our elections is in peril. New voting regulations and laws threaten the rights of many registered Ohio voters and their access to the ballot box. With a possible redistricting ballot initiative and an August 8 special election looming, our work to protect Ohio voters is more important than ever before. 


In John Lewis’ final column in the New York Times, he stated, “The vote is the most powerful non-violent change agent you have in a democratic society.”


As I begin this two-year term as your new president, my vision for our League is to protect that most powerful nonviolent change agent: the vote. Our vote is our voice. Without majority rule, access to the ballot box, fair maps and free and fair elections, all other issues we care about so deeply are in jeopardy.  


In closing, I want to take a moment to thank you. Thank you for trusting me to lead this incredible organization. Thank you for believing in me to guide us through these unprecedented times. I am encouraged by some of the recent court rulings, but I know our work is far from over. In his book Across That Bridge, John Lewis said, “Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.” 


I look forward to being on this continuous journey to defend direct democracy with each of you.


In League,


Sherry

. . . to get yourself to the All Member Meeting

on Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m.

We need everyone to come and help rally around the VOTE NO August 8 Issue 1 campaign.


Join with others for some hands-on campaigning and learn what you can do to keep supporting the VOTE NO campaign after you leave the meeting.


At the meeting we will have:


POSTCARDS. We have 2,000 postcards to prepare for mailing to Kent voters. Write a short note, then affix a preprinted address label and a stamp. 


PALM CARDS. Pick up a pack (or more!) palm cards to share with friends, neighbors and family members. 


CANVASSING SIGN-UP SHEETS. Sign up to canvas your neighborhood and deliver cards to front doors, paper boxes and so on. If someone already has your neighborhood covered, sign up for one nearby.


YARD SIGNS. Pick up a yard sign, and in a spot on a well-travelled street.


HONK AND WAVE SIGN-UP SHEETS. Sign up to join other Leaguers for some fun holding signs at busy street corners.


TEXTING BANK SIGN-UP SHEETS. Coming soon from LWVO is information on participating in an all-Ohio-Leagues texting bank. Join others to text reminders that a special election is being held on August 8 and to VOTE NO. (Please note that while your personal phone number is not connected to the texts, you will be able to respond to questions or comments from the people you call).


CAR-WINDOW SIGNS. Grab some signs to put in your car or home windows. (They’re better than a bumper sticker.)


“VOTE NO” BUTTONS. Take a handful of these buttons to share with family, friends and neighbors, and wear one yourself.


CAMARADERIE AND GOODIES. As always, there will be great camaraderie and a delicious spread of goodies to munch on!


Can’t make it to the meeting but really want to help? Just email Jill, or text her at 330-687-7119 with what you would like to do. 


Interested in taking palm cards to any of your groups, book clubs, neighborhood parties or just the neighbors on your street, email Jill, or text her at 330-687-7119.



NEED HELP WITH TECHONOLOGY?

 

Join the LWV Kent TECHLab Team on Thursday, July 13, 6 p.m., before the All Member Meeting to add VOTE NO images to your social media! Free and a stress-free tech zone! No RSVP. Please bring your laptop or smartphone.





DONATE NOW TO HELP FUND VOTE NO EFFORTS!

There’s a special fundraising campaign going on for LWV Kent! Help with the cost of the VOTE NO campaign by clicking here. We need your support for printing signs, info cards, buttons and more. Thank you!

DONATE TO SUPPORT THE VOTE NO CAMPAIGN TODAY!

We need YOUR help on the front lines in the fight against Issue 1; join us July 30 and get some gumbo!

Just a reminder to all members and friends . . . The League of Women Voters takes stands on issues based on positions. 


So, it’s high season for voter registration and assistance, which means that lots of volunteers are needed to staff booths, tables and so on in the upcoming months. Here is another of these events for 2023. Check back in the future VOTERs for additions to the list. Below is the corrected day and date for the Gumbo Blues Festival! Sorry for the confusion.

Kent Leaguers joined up with members of the League of Women Voters of Northern Portage for their annual appearance in the Aurora 4th of July parade. Parade unit theme, of course, was “Vote No.” Parade walkers distributed VOTE NO information cards and candy. Northern Portage LWV President April Secura, organizer of our group, proudly displays the “Best Non-Profit Award” trophy that our unit won. It was a great crowd! Thanks, April and LWV Northern Portage!




The opposition to Issue 1 is overwhelming!

Click here to see who

is on the list. And share it with family, friends and neighbors!

The campaign to defeat Issue 1 is going on NOW!

Here is how YOU can get involved!

We have the power to make our voices heard by voting NO on August 8 and by educating voters about the unpopular, undemocratic, unfair and unnecessary Issue 1!

 

Here are your options. Choose one or all of them:


  • Check with the LWV Kent Voter Service Committee for opportunities to register voters and distribute information about voting NO ON ISSUE 1 during the August 8 special election. Email Stacy Yaniglos or Jill Hazelton or call Stacy at 330-697-5273. See the article above for details and links to sign ups.


  • Check out the NO on ISSUE 1 coalition website here.








  • Use your social media to DEFEAT ISSUE 1. You can download a Facebook cover below by right clicking on the image and selecting the “Save image as” option from the drop-down menu. Once you have the image in your downloads file, you can upload it to your Facebook cover or posts. Call 330-687-3748 for help!

or here . . .

You can download a Facebook post here by right clicking on the image and selecting the "Save image as" option from the drop-down menu. Once you have the image in your download file, you can upload it to your Facebook posts. Call 330-687-3748 for help!

Second row l-r: Stacy Yaniglos, Bill Wilen, Jill Hazelton, Renee Zimelis Ruchotzke, VP Janice Hutchison, out going President Debbie Barber, new President Sherry Rose, Jane Preston Rose, Karen Carmany; first row: Deborah Austin Sanders, Amie Cajka, outgoing VP Penny Graves, Kim Gruenwald, Treasurer Gail Pytel, new VP Jackie Peck and Rhonda Richardson. Not pictured: new Secretary Marianne Martens.

Presenting . . . Your 2023-2024 LWV Kent Board!

New, outgoing and continuing board members for the League of Women Voters of Kent. Thank you for your leadership of our almost 70-year-old organization. Still going strong with more than 200 members and growing. Interested in membership? Check out our website! 

ICYMI!*

*In case you missed the 2023 Annual Meeting, here is the presentation by Aaron Ockerman, president of the Ohio Elections Board Association. He focused on how the League and boards of elections share similar goals to protect voters.

Next LWV Kent Book Club meeting set for July 12

The next LWV Kent Book Club meeting is set for Wednesday, July 12, at 1:30 p.m. The selection for July is Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America by Cody Keenan. All are welcome to join. Contact Jane for details about the meetings. Click here to email her.


Selections for August and September are . . . 

August 2 - The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip by Jeff Guinn

September 6 - Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson by Rebecca Boggs Roberts

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.

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

 


July 12 | Wednesday | 1:30 p.m. | LWV Kent Book Club Click here to email for details. 

 

July 13 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | TECHLAB Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent  Free; bring your laptop or smartphone


July 13 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | All Member Meeting Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent ADVOCACY SESSION FOR VOTE NO ON AUG 8


Aug 2 | Wednesday | 1:30 p.m. | LWV Kent Book Club Click here to email for details.  


Aug 5 | Saturday | 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. | STANS Up SPEAK Out Rally | Portage County Courthouse  


Aug 7 | Monday | 7 p.m. | All Member Meeting Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent 

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