The Westlake-North Olmsted Chapter continued to engage with our community in a variety of ways, seeking to register new voters, educate voters and our own membership, and raise awareness about League efforts to support democracy. Below are some highlights from the past year.
Membership: We continued to welcome new members throughout the year. We had a renewed interest among our members and interest from new members due to our advocacy efforts around the “Vote No in August” campaign and the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment.
Voter Service: Our priority this past summer was ensuring that voters were aware of the August Special Election and prepared to vote by mail if necessary. Members volunteered at Westlake Porter Public Library every Saturday up to the election, assisting with voter registration, change of address, and vote by mail applications. In September, Westlake Porter Public Library invited our Chapter back to the library for National Voter Registration Day.
We also participated again this year in North Olmsted’s Homecoming in August 2023 where we assisted voters with Vote411, change of address, registration, vote-by-mail applications, and offered a popular “LWV quiz” to draw winners for gift baskets. This has been a great opportunity for our Chapter to interact with our community, and we look forward to participating again this August.
Then, in the run up to the November 2023 General Election, our members volunteered at the Westlake Community Services Center (once a week for five weeks) and made a presentation to seniors attending a North Olmsted Senior Center Luncheon. This work included assistance to seniors with voter registration, change of address, and vote by mail applications. We also provided print outs from Vote411 for all issues on the ballot for Westlake voters. The Westlake-North Olmsted Chapter, along with the Bay Village Chapter, hosted a Candidate Forum for Rocky River Municipal Court prior to the November 2023 General Election. The forum
was in person and recorded. Our Chapter also hosted a forum for North Olmsted City Council. The forum was in person and recorded.
Following the November 2023 General Election, our Chapter became concerned with the effect Ohio’s new election laws may have on our communities, especially seniors and young voters. So, prior to the March 2024 primary we piloted two efforts to reach those voters in our community to ensure they were ready and able to vote:
● With the coordination of Janice Patterson and Bruce Robinson, in February we made seven visits to six different senior living facilities in Westlake and North Olmsted, helping residents prepare for the March 2024 Primary Election and cultivating relationships with the facilities’ staff. The results included four new voter registrations, 20 address updates, 84 vote-by-mail applications, and numerous discussions on gerrymandering.
● Also, in collaboration with the Westlake Porter Public Library, we created a “First-Time Voter Toolkit” event, providing 20 grab-and-go bags for teens who would be turning 18 on or before the November 2024 General Election, with information on registering to vote online, how to request and return a vote by mail ballot, and Vote411. We hope to replicate both programs prior to the November 2024 General Election.
Under the leadership of Voter Service Chairs Bruce Robinson and Gale Husney, League members continued to register voters at twice-monthly U.S. Naturalization ceremonies, resulting in 1,042 new citizens registered to vote in 2023. As of May 3, 2024, we have registered an additional 451 new citizens so far this calendar year.
Advocacy: We spent much of June and July of 2023 advocating for “Vote No on August 8”, including distributing yard signs, writing postcards, participating in Westlake’s July 4th parade in Westlake, and honk-and-wave events near Crocker Park. We also submitted letters to the editor about the issue, encouraging voters to vote “No”. Our members have also been involved with the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment. Many
members volunteered their time consistently since the start of signature collection, including member Carol Kelleher working as a “petition hub”, and continually pursuing opportunities (in every type of seasonal weather) to collect signatures and educate voters on the dangers of gerrymandering.
Chapter Events and Outreach: As a Chapter, we have had many good opportunities to learn and discuss the importance of preserving our democracy. Various events included three post-election debrief meetings (August, November, and April), a popular Holiday potluck luncheon, and in January 2024, we had a book discussion of “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” by Richard Haas. In February, League member, Jean Seasholtz, led a discussion on changes to public education in the state of Ohio. Most recently, in May, our chapter co-sponsored a program with AAUW and the LWV Bay Village and Lakewood Chapters, entitled “News Literacy in an Era of Misinformation & Disinformation” with Robert W. Janke, Professor Emeritus of Education at Baldwin Wallace University. He presented on how to spot misinformation and disinformation in the media and how we can become better informed citizens. Throughout 2023 and 2024, thanks to the efforts of member Janice Patterson, we submitted frequent letters to the editor and articles to local newspapers, including articles in advance of the August 2023 Special Election, November 2023 General Election, and March 2024 Primary Election.
We will close out our year with two events in June. We will hold an in-person catered Annual Meeting Luncheon on June 1, 2024 hosted in a member’s home. On June 2nd, we will have a table at the Westlake Historical Society’s Craft, Vintage, and Antique Show for voter service and advocacy related to Citizens Not Politicians.
We would like to thank our Leadership Team, particularly Bruce Robinson and Gale Husney (Voter Service), Janice Patterson and Dori Olivos (Outreach), Tina Gangidine, Diane Ahlers, and Carole Koscielny (Membership), and Jean Seasholtz (Finance). Without their hard work and dedication, we would not have been able to accomplish all this great work over the past year. We look forward to working with other local Leagues and new community partners going forward.
Kathy Woolner and Nadia Zaiem Chapter Co-Chairs