President’s Message
Members are always asking the question: “What can I do?”
Three things you can do:
#1. The Year of Ohio marches on towards the midterm elections. I would like to gently suggest that we all focus away from the drama on the national stage as it is continually changing and focus on our beautiful state of Ohio where we can make a difference.
We really don’t have much power in Washington at the moment, but we do have real power coming up when citizens get to use their voices at the polls in November.
In the meantime, we must educate ourselves, our family, friends and neighbors about the issues so we can all make the best decisions at the ballot box. To that end, may I urge you to subscribe to the following online resources.
Signal Akron HERE and Signal Statehouse HERE online newspapers. They are free.
Rachel Coyle’s emails on different platforms HERE and her Honesty for Ohio Public Education newsletters.
Join link: Honesty for Ohio Education:
And keep up with news from the League by reading this newsletter (LWVAA) in entirety as well as Action Alerts from Columbus (LWVO) and DC (LWVUS).
#2. I attended the Communities United for Public Schools event at Firestone High School along with Jackie Derrow who reports about it below. Truly the wolf is at the schoolhouse door. Please be sure to check out the Advocacy section below to learn how dire the situation is and what we all can do to ensure all Ohio’s children get a solid education as provided for in the Ohio Constitution. Sign up for Honesty for Ohio Education emails. (see above) Become informed and share what you know.
#3. Want to learn what your local League has planned for 2026-27? Check out our Program Action Plan (use link) and imagine how you can participate. HERE
Mary Robbins
President, LWVAA
Contents in Newsletter
- UPCOMING EVENTS
- Green Community Conversation - Free and Fair Elections
- Voter Outreach Training
- Annual Membership Meeting
- LWVAA IN ACTION
- OPEN M Mountain of Food
- OPEN M Job Fair
- Akron Board of Education Forum
- ADVOCACY
- Ohio Action Alert: SB 127
- Action Alert LWVUS
- The Callias Decision Webinar
- Fair Districts - Fair Democracy Webinar
-
MEMBERSHIP
- United Way - Day of Learning Follow-up
-
VOTER SERVICES
- New Ohio Voter Registration Form
- LWVUS National Convention
- LOOK AHEAD
Democracy performs best when voters are actively engaged, have accurate information and access to the ballot.
SAVE THE DATE!
Join LWV of the Akron Area and Akron NAACP on May 19, 6:00pm at the Highland Square Branch Library for a training session on all things voter registration and voting in 2026.
There have been some changes to Ohio’s election laws this year, so we encourage new AND experienced voter advocates to attend.
Register HERE.
Open to the public. All are welcome to attend.
Whether you participate in voter registration and education efforts in your community, or help your friends and family navigate the voting process, you have the power to ensure that eligible voters are able to use their voices during the midterm election this fall.
SAVE THE DATE!
Annual Membership Meeting on June 4
Reserve your seat today for this year's Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 4, 2026 @ 5:30pm - 8pm at The Trailhead at Cascade Lofts.
Deadline to register is May 28, 2026
Dinner: $35.00 per person
If you would like to join us for the meeting but not dinner, please email lwvaapresident [at] gmail.com, and plan on arriving at 6:30PM.
Non-League members are permitted to attend as a guest with a member and with approval by the President. Please contact Mary Robbins, President, at lwvaapresident [at] gmail.com to inquire about bringing a guest.
OPEN M Mountain of Food event April 17
Kathie Brown and Sherry McMillen created a local palm card with voter registration dates for the Primary and November elections. Kathie Brown included 240 of these cards in the grocery bags distributed April 17 at the Mountain of Food event at OPEN-M. The cards will continue to be distributed at the OPEN-M pantry.
OPEN M JOB FAIR April 23
Back at OPEN-M on Thursday, April 23 for their Job Fair, Kathie Brown and Nancy Mudd registered voters, and distributed palm cards, again encouraging participation in the Primary election, rules about ID requirements, and changes about mail return of absentee ballots.
AKRON BOARD OF ELECTIONS COMMUNITY FORUM AT
FIRESTONE HIGH SCHOOL April 21
Mary Robbins, Nancy Mudd, and Katherine Wulff staffed the League table at Akron Board of Elections community forum held at Firestone High School Tuesday, April 21. Approximately 200 motivated citizens, very interested in Akron Public Schools attended this event. It was an opportunity to educate about the changes in Ohio voting law, emphasize the importance of voting in the Primary, and distribute palm cards with a variety of accurate voting information.
"There is incredible power at the state and local levels. We will defend freedom from the ground up.” - Rachel Coyle
Action Alert from Honesty for Ohio Education
Tell Ohio Legislators: STOP SB 127
STATUS: 4th hearing in Senate Education Committee, Tuesday 5/12/26 at 3:00 PM
WHAT IT DOES: Senate Bill 127 would revise public school closure law to require any school district-operated school building, community school, or STEM school that meets specified criteria for the three most recent school years to close or take other remedial action.
TAKE ACTION:
- Ask Committee Vice Chair Lou Blessing to HELP STOP SB 127:
- (614) 466-8068
- Email: Blessing [at] OhioSenate.gov
- Twitter: https://x.com/LBlessing308
-
Ask Committee Ranking Member Catherine Ingram to HELP STOP SB 127:
- (614) 466-5980
- Email: Ingram [at] OhioSenate.gov
- Twitter: https://x.com/cingram32
-
Ask your state senator to HELP STOP SB 127:
WHAT TO SAY:
- SB 127 is big government overreach that threatens public education and parents’ rights
- Expands criteria for labeling schools as “underperforming”
- Forces districts the state labels as “underperforming” to take drastic actions such as closing schools, transferring control to private operators, replacing staff, and more
- Overrides collective bargaining law and local collective bargaining agreements
- SB 127 is a direct attack on parents’ rights, local control, and workers’ rights
- SB 127 would remove local control from elected school board members and parents
- SB 127 would remove parents’ rights to choose their child’s school
- The state should not be making big, closed-door decisions with little to no community involvement.
- Our students deserve safe, equitable, fully-resourced, engaging schools in their own area!
- In most cases, closing local schools is bad for our communities and bad for Ohio.
- In ALL cases, parents and students should be heavily involved in the decision-making processes!
Action Alert from the League of Women Voters of the US
Tell Congress: Reject funding to ICE and Customs & Border Enforcement
Right now, Congress is moving quickly on budget reconciliation in the House and Senate, a fast-tracked process that allows legislation to pass with a simple majority and limited debate, rather than the traditional two-thirds majority vote and extensive debate required by bills like this in the Senate. They are attempting to use this process to obtain additional funding for ICE and CBP. As a nonpartisan, pro-democracy organization, the League is deeply alarmed by the ongoing ICE detentions, which too often fly in the face of due process and other fundamental rights. These actions undermine the democratic values of fairness, equal treatment under the law, and government transparency and accountability. The League supports due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal, and right to humane treatment.
TAKE ACTION:
- Email your US House member and US Senators here.
- Copy/paste the message from LWVUS and email your US Representative and Senators (get their contact info here)—bonus points for calling their office number directly to tell them you oppose funding for ICE and CBP.
- Write a Letter to the Editor using this template.
Tuesday, May 12 at 7pm Webinar
Join LWV of Ohio and friends for a conversation about the impact of last week’s US Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision that effectively killed the Voting Rights Act. The discussion will include practical steps we can take to make change and support our multiracial democracy.
Panelists:
- Andrew Walchuk, Policy Director & Counsel, Voting and Fair Representation, Common Cause
- Lisa Graves, Founder and Executive Director, True North Research
- April England-Albright, National Legal Director/Co-founder, Black Voters Matter
Fair Districts-Fair Democracy Huddle: Direct Democracy
Wednesday, May 13 at 6pm
The May huddle will discuss the right to collect signatures and put issues directly on the ballot. Join the call to get the latest updates and learn what we can do to protect our access to the ballot.
We have the power to help make this shift—join the call on May 13th to learn more.
- David DeWitt from the Ohio Capital Journal will kick us off with the history of how direct democracy came to Ohio more than 100 years ago,
- Jennifer Parrish Taylor and Taylor Givens-Dunn from the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) will discuss attacks on citizen access to the ballot across the US, and
- Laura Laura Lucarelli from Ohio Ballot Protection will discuss their campaign to preserve and improve direct democracy in Ohio.
Click HERE to register for the Zoom call.
A follow-up on:
United Way + Sojourner Truth Legacy Plaza
Day of Learning at United Way Was Informative, Meaningful
Our April membership event, “A Day of Learning at United Way Summit Medina,” began with presentations on the full range of UWSM’s direct services and how they coordinate with partners, especially through their 211 service. The 211 service has information and referral for a wide range of services from housing and job assistance to childcare and even voting information. LWVAA is part of the database! You can have your questions answered by dialing 211 or going online to 211.org.
The presentations concluded with member Towanda Mullins discussing the history of the effort to construct a statue commemorating Sojourner Truth’s May 29, 1851, speech known as “Ain’t I a Woman?” at the 2nd Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. The presentation was followed by a tour of Truth Legacy Plaza located just outside of the UWSM building and adjacent to the exact location of Truth’s famous speech. In 2019, LWVAA and LWV Hudson joined with other community partners to lead the planning and fundraising for the creation of Truth Legacy Plaza. This was a joint effort spearheaded by County Executive Ilene Shapiro to honor the 100-year anniversary of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. If you haven’t toured the plaza at 37 N. High St., now is the perfect time to do so and to be proud of what we accomplished together.
New Ohio Voter Registration Form on Secretary of State's website
In February 2026, Ohio posted a new voter registration form (see below). This re-vamped form highlights in red the sections that must be completed. One change is that in #8, if a registrant possesses an Ohio driver license or state ID, that form of identification MUST be used for voter registration. If not, the registrant may use the last four digits of his or her social security number. Also, the form requires additional information if one is assisting the registrant completing the form. To print a copy, go HERE
League of Women Voters National Convention in Columbus OHIO!!
June 25-28, 2026
Check out the Convention 2026 website, where you will not only be able to register for Convention but also find information about the event venue, submit a proposal to host a breakout/ caucus session, learn how to sign up for the wares market, access pre-Convention webinar recordings, find a robust FAQ page, and more.
LOOK AHEAD FOR:
- "MESSAGES OF THE WEEK" (emails on upcoming events)
- Green Community Conversation May 12
- The Callias Decision Webinar May 12
- Fair Districts-Fair Democracy Huddle - May 13
- Voter Outreach Training May 19
- Annual Business Meeting June 4
- Downtown Day - July TBD
- Potluck Dinner - August 13
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