President’s Message

State of the League of Women Voters Akron-Area 

 July, 2026

A couple of items are on my mind this month.

#1.   I want to invite you to our Pot Luck Celebration coming up soon on August 13 (See invite below). 

       I believe you will enjoy our featured speaker, Brandon Waithe, a 20 year Veteran in the Air Force who brings to us a welcome message during these uncertain times. 

       Not only is he a founder of Buckeye Veterans Ohio, an organization that works to inspire voters as well as protect the election process, but he is also speaking to us about Project Halo, a vehicle for bringing joy and celebration into the voting process.

      This is a welcome and much needed message right now as many of us are feeling frightened of the future of our beloved country and our rights within. I am looking forward to his presentation with anticipation as a new attitude may help us in our voter services outreach work here in the League. I hope to see you there.

#2.    Election season is coming on fast as there are less than 100 days until the November election. The next months are Go-Time for the League of Women Voters here in Akron when we are most active talking to voters, bringing them important information and making sure they know their voting plan.

    Two very important facts we need to stress are:

       a.    That voters check their registration close to voting time on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website at

https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/voterlookup.aspx 

to insure that your information is in order, and 

        b.  Tell voters that if voting absentee, they should make a request for their ballot now so that the ballot can be mailed out to the voter the very first day of early voting on October 6.

Voters can obtain a ballot request form:

           a    On the Secretary of State website

           b    At the Summit County Board of Elections 

           c    From us at the League of Women Voters

Although we encourage voting in person either at Early Voting or on Election Day, we want to insure that voters have plenty of time to fill out the ballot and mail or return it to the Board of Election as early as possible to avoid any possible disruptions of mail as it must be received by 7:30 pm on November 3 or it will not be counted.

#3    Finally, I want to encourage all who want to work with voters to sign up on the Sign-up Genius mailings that you receive. Those will be coming thick and fast as I said above that it is Go-Time for election work.

    If you are hesitant, be assured you will be paired with seasoned partners who know what to do and say and will be there to answer any questions that come up. We are constantly getting requests to table at local events and we need you to help us bring information and encouragement to voters right now.

There is a lot riding on the upcoming election. This election is all about Ohio as so many statewide seats are on the ballot. We are so grateful that so many of you have indicated an interest in Voter Services and I hope to see you all out there talking to your neighbors, family and friends about the importance of this election.

Mary Robbins 

President, League of Women Voters Akron Area

Contents in Newsletter

Democracy performs best when voters are actively engaged, have accurate information and access to the ballot.

Unite and Rise Voting Rights National Day of Action

Postcards for the People

Saturday, August 8, 2026 - 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Fairlawn Bath Branch Library

3101 Smith Road

Akron Ohio 44333

Help infrequent Akron voters appreciate the power of their vote through your messages. 

We’ll have postcards and address labels.  Bring pens and postcard stamps. 

Go here for more information and to register:

https://my.lwv.org/ohio/akron-area/event/postcards-people 

JOIN US Thursday, August 13  5:30 - 7:30 PM

2026 Members and Friends Potluck Gathering


Our special guest will be Brandon Waithe, a 20-year veteran in the US Air Force in Special Operations Airborne Intelligence. Brandon is the executive director and co-founder of Buckeye Veterans Coalition, a group of Ohio veterans who strive to effect systemic change for the good of our communities.

He’ll tell us how the organization plans to help protect the vote this fall and introduce us to Project Halo, a vehicle for bringing people together to create a welcoming, celebratory, nonpartisan presence around elections so every voter feels safe, respected, and confident when participating in one of our most important shared American traditions.


Bring a friend and a dish to share.
Paper, plasticware and bottled water will be provided.


RSVP HERE

EVENTS

National Poll Worker Recruitment Day

Tuesday, August 11

Join LWV and Power the Polls for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day to recruit the election heroes we need to make sure our polls—and our democracy—are accessible to all. Share LWV's unique URL now to recruit poll workers in your community. LWVUS has some additional resources with graphics and resources for Leagues here.

Sign up to be part of Election Protection - Volunteer!!

The closer we get to the midterms, the more intense the false rhetoric around elections and election processes is going to be. That makes the work of Election Protection especially essential this year. We are going to need more people to help ensure eligible voters have their votes counted here in Ohio—please consider joining us! Volunteering for Election Protection could mean a variety of things, from transporting signs and posting on social media to answering the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline or being an Election Day volunteer.

To get involved:

Sign up to join in to volunteer with Election Protection here

Understanding the Intersection of State Agencies, the Courts & Your Utility Bills

Wednesday, August 19 @ 6:00 pm

If you have signed up for Registering & Educating Voters, look for the  Sign Up Genius logo in your emails for volunteer opportunities going forward this summer and fall.

We will be busy at Farmers Markets, Community Celebrations, and Akron's Night Out.  

The Voter Outreach training is online.  If you were unable to attend, the video and

slides are available HERE.

Also, use this link to refresh your memory before attending an event!

New Ohio Voter Registration Form on Secretary of State's website - a reminder:

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. Print a copy to review if you are interested in registering voters.  To print a copy, go HERE

Downtown Meetup Day was so much fun!

WONDERING HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

- LWVAA Needs your help- please volunteer!

- All helping hands activities are important!!

FILL OUT OR UPDATE THE PROFILE INTERESTS FORM. 

Find the Link HERE 

ONCE YOU SUBMIT, YOUR SELECTIONS WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR PROFILE

WHY FILL OUT THE FROFILE FORM?

The LWVAA committees contact members to help in certain areas through the information in your profile interests (ie, Membership, Voter Services, communications, etc.).

If yours is blank, then you will not be notified. 

SO please fill out your profile!!

That being said, any member can attend events you find in the Newsletter and on LWVAA website.

LWVO ZOOM CALLS:

STAY CURRENT ON OHIO LEAGUE POSITIONS

LWVO August All-Member call | August 4 @ noon

Monthly call led by LWVO staff and board members to provide updates on what the state League is working on, share resources, and hear member feedback; often there are guests. Open to all LWVO members.

Register here if you’ve not already done so.

Ohio Voter Rights Coalition (OVRC) call |

Friday bi-weekly call, August 7 @ noon and August 21 @ noonEvery other Friday, OVRC hosts a call about what’s happening in Ohio’s democracy. OVRC is Ohio’s premier voter advocacy coalition group, led by LWVO, Common Cause Ohio, All Voting is Local, ACLU Ohio, and Ohio Voice, with contributions from democracy-focused individuals and organizations across the state. These calls are every other Friday at noon.

Register here

LWVO Voter Services | August 28 @ 7pm

Note: This call will center on Voter Guides and VOTE411
Monthly call led by LWVO Voter Service coordinator Heather Nye to provide training, guidance, and resources for members involved in voter service work, as well as provide opportunities for LLs to share information. Open to all members who do voter service work.

Join call here

LWVO Lobby Corps | No calls for most of the summer with legislators back in their districts; next call Tuesday, August 25 @ noon.

Please consider putting your extra time into Voter Service work this summer to help connect voters with resources and support to encourage participation in this years’ election!

To be part of Lobby Corps, sign up here if you haven’t already

done so

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