February Meeting
Our February meeting will be THIS Tuesday, February 25th, at the Library, opening at 6:30pm, meeting start at 7pm. We will be hosting a wonderful speaker from Colors+ Youth Center, an organization that provides advocacy and support for LGBTQ+ youth. In our current political climate, it is IMPERATIVE that we support organizations that support groups that are being attacked by the current administration. Please come out to learn about their mission and how you can get involved!!
RSVP HERE
Voucher Programs in the Statehouse
The Repulican leadership in Columbus is wasting no time in hopping on the national wave of right-wing activism and have set their sights on public education–gutting public funding for public education and re-distributing your tax money to privately-funded charter schools, in a broader effort to undermine education unions. Our representative, Bride Rose Sweeney, has been very vocal in her opposition to such measures. Read all about it HERE and look to attend the virtual session on the topic by the Ohio Democrats Women’s Caucus, this Wednesday, February 26th, RSVP HERE.
Economic Blackout!
JOIN THE ECONOMIC BLACKOUT PROTEST
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 12 AM-11:59 PM
Nationwide Consumer Boycott to protest Rising Prices and Corporate Practices
NO SPENDING FOR 24 HOURS
Avoid buying anything that day (not online or in-store) unless it’s from a small, local business. Especially avoid large companies that are rolling back or eliminating their DEI programs. NO gas, NO fast food, NO major retailers. Buy food, medicine, emergency supplies only if absolutely necessary. Do not use credit or debit cards for non-essential spending.
See more here at The People’s Union USA
2025 Primary Elections and More Radical Legislation!
Important dates to know for the May 6, 2025 Primary Election
- Mon/April 7, 9:00 pm – Voter Registration Deadline
- Tues/April 8 – Early Voting Begins (Absentee & In-Person)
- Tues/April 29, 8:30 pm – Absentee Ballot Request Deadline
- Mon/May 5 – Absentee Ballot U.S. Postmark Deadline
- Tues/May 6, 6:30 am to 7:30 pm – Primary Election
Election details at boe.cuyahogacounty.gov.
From the League of Women Voters of Ohio:
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS:
Statewide issue that will be on the May 6 Ballot:
A statewide issue that asks voters to approve billions of dollars for local government projects is now Issue 2.
“TO FUND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS BY PERMITTING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND”
Passage of Issue 2 would allow the state to issue $2.5 billion in state bonds over the next 10 years, financed through tax revenues the state expects to bring in over that period. The monies from the sale of the bonds fund the State Capital Improvements Program (SCIP), which provides local governments with grants, loans, loan assistance, and local debt support to invest in public infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, sewer systems, and waste facilities.
Issue 2 is a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution, initiated by the General Assembly. Our legislature passed the joint resolution needed to trigger the process of getting the issue in front of voters. If passed, the amendment would be a renewal to the amendment passed in 1987 that established SCIP and authorized the Ohio Public Works Commission to be program administrators; the 1987 initiative was written to be renewed by voters every ten years. Since then, voters have approved bond renewals three times (1995, 2005, and 2014). If voters reject this Issue 2, the original amendment would expire, taking funding for future capital projects with it.
You can read the ballot language for Issue 2 here, its explanation here, written by a legislative committee, and arguments against here, written by the Ballot Board because that duty falls to them when there is no organized opposition to an issue.
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| Congress has reintroduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require all Americans to provide citizenship documentation when registering to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering. It is already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal or state elections so this a waste of valuable federal, state, and local resources that do nothing to keep voting secure. Worse, it would disenfranchise millions of voters. Here’s how: The SAVE Act would effectively ban registering to vote by mail or online since it would require in-person registrationThe Save Act would ban the use of state driver’s licenses, REAL ID, and veteran’s ID in voter registration.Women are especially vulnerable to being disenfranchised, as millions change their name when they get married or divorced.The Save Act does nothing to voting more secure, it would just make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. Our democracy works best when all eligible Americans can vote: tell your members of Congress to oppose the SAVE Act. Send a message via LWV Ohioor make calls directly: Contact U.S. Senators:https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm Contact U.S. Representatives:https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative |
March is Membership Month!
We are currently in our membership drive for 2025! If you have not renewed your membership, see one of us at the next meeting, or you can renew online HERE
Due to the rising costs of postage, scheduling of events, and other club duties, we unfortunately have had to raise our membership rates only slightly–individual memberships have increased to $30 (from $20), and family memberships have increased to $40 (from $30)–senior and student memberships will remain the same, at $10 and $5, respectively. While we hate to have to raise rates, it will go a long way to help us stage events, including postcard parties and community gatherings, maintaining the website, room rentals, printing, and sponsoring get-out-the-vote events and yard sign drives!
As always, if you can add more, it will cover someone who can afford less. Everyone is welcome at the amount you are comfortable contributing.
February Meeting
Our February meeting will be THIS Tuesday, February 25th, at the Library, opening at 6:30pm, meeting start at 7pm. We will be hosting a wonderful speaker from Colors+ Youth Center, an organization that provides advocacy and support for LGBTQ+ youth. In our current political climate, it is IMPERATIVE that we support organizations that support groups that are being attacked by the current administration. Please come out to learn about their mission and how you can get involved!!
RSVP HERE
January Meeting
We will not have a meeting tonight, January 28th, as our January gathering was the Holiday Party last week.
We will return to “regularly scheduled programming” in February–stay tuned!!
| Tomorrow we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate his legacy–which rings as true today as in decades before. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” |
January Meeting
We are co-hosting a post-holiday/post-election gathering with our other West Shore Communities!! Please RSVP at the link HERE! The hall has limited availability, so register EARLY to secure your spot!!
While this event will be the day after the inauguration – and we will acknowledge the importance of strengthening our resistance to the new administration – we want to celebrate the work we’ve done together thus far, promote our continued growth, and just enjoy each other’s company and spend more time socializing.
When: January 21, 2025, 6:00-8:30 pm (social hour and food from 6-7pm; program begins at 7pm)
Where: St. Barnabas Church, 468 Bradley Rd, Bay Village, OH
Theme: Taco Tuesday–Taco Bar provided from Cozumel in Westlake; also planning to have beer and sangria
RSVP HERE!!
County Council Forum!
Please consider coming out to this informative forum on the future of the Democratic Party in Cuyahoga County on January 25th at 10am at the Lakewood Library–all details below!. Our district representative, Pat Kelly, will be there to address the group!
Some good news…
For many of you who were (or are) public sector employees…teachers, firefighters, police officers, and many others…Congress officially repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision/Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO), a Reagan-era enactment that has unfairly and unduly ROBBED millions of Americans their just-entitled share of their GUARANTEED Social Security benefits. After languishing in House subcommittees for more than a decade, Congress has finally righted this wrong and guaranteed to make whole one of the most basic protections of our democracy. Please read HERE for the full article. Finally some good news and a VERY welcome Christmas gift to millions of Americans! Just waiting for President Biden to sign the bill into law now!
UPDATE: The bill was signed into law by President Biden on January 5th! More than 2 million Americans have now been restored their due benefits! Please take a moment to watch the very touching ceremony HERE!
January Meeting
We are co-hosting a post-holiday/post-election gathering with our other West Shore Communities!! Please RSVP at the link HERE! The hall has limited availability, so register EARLY to secure your spot!!
While this event will be the day after the inauguration – and we will acknowledge the importance of strengthening our resistance to the new administration – we want to celebrate the work we’ve done together thus far, promote our continued growth, and just enjoy each other’s company and spend more time socializing.
When: January 21, 2025, 6:00-8:30 pm (social hour and food from 6-7pm; program begins at 7pm)
Where: St. Barnabas Church, 468 Bradley Rd, Bay Village, OH
Theme: Taco Tuesday–Taco Bar provided from Cozumel in Westlake; also planning to have beer and sangria
RSVP HERE!!
Judicial Investiture Ceremony!
On behalf of our friend and elected official, Carl Mazzone, we want to extend an invitation to the following ceremony where Carl will swear in to take office! We can’t thank him enough for all the help and support he has provided to the Club over the years and want to encourage everyone to come share his special day!!
Sherrod Brown Event!
County Council Forum!
Please consider coming out to this informative forum on the future of the Democratic Party in Cuyahoga County on January 25th at 10am at the Lakewood Library–all details below!. Our district representative, Pat Kelly, will be there to address the group!
Some good news…
For many of you who were (or are) public sector employees…teachers, firefighters, police officers, and many others…Congress officially repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision/Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO), a Reagan-era enactment that has unfairly and unduly ROBBED millions of Americans their just-entitled share of their GUARANTEED Social Security benefits. After languishing in House subcommittees for more than a decade, Congress has finally righted this wrong and guaranteed to make whole one of the most basic protections of our democracy. Please read HERE for the full article. Finally some good news and a VERY welcome Christmas gift to millions of Americans! Just waiting for President Biden to sign the bill into law now!
UPDATE: The bill was signed into law by President Biden on January 5th! More than 2 million Americans have now been restored their due benefits! Please take a moment to watch the very touching ceremony HERE!
