League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland

06/16/2026

Encourage Governor DeWine to veto HB 472. Go to the link below to email him, or call him directly at (614) 644-4357, or (614) 466-3555.

Last week, the lawmakers rushed HB 472, a really bad anti-voter bill, through the Ohio Statehouse, and it's now up to Governor DeWine to stop it with a veto.

The Governor needs to hear from you! Go to the link below to email him, or call him directly at (614) 644-4357, or (614) 466-3555.

Tell him HB 472 would:
📪 Make voting by mail much harder for eligible Ohio voters, especially those who are elderly, disabled, students, and living in rural areas
👀 Introduce identity theft and privacy concerns
💸Provide no new funding to BOEs to implement & manage huge new system

Rushing complicated election law always means unintended consequences that will hurt voters and election officials, and cost money and time to make right. Go here to email the governor to tell him to veto HB 472:
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-governor-dewine-to-veto-house-bill-472

06/15/2026

AI touches everything, including campaigns and elections. Yet, in Ohio, there is little transparency about how our elected officials are making decisions regarding the use of AI. Join us on July 14 for an educational program that will offer a basic understanding of artificial intelligence, what it is and what it is not; the ways in which AI, as an industry, is changing who has power in our society and who doesn't; and what we, as citizens, can do about it.

Free. All are welcome! Register at bit.ly/LWVGCforumAI

06/14/2026

Registering voters! Empowering voters!

06/13/2026

The League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland is a community partner for this forum on Tuesday, June 16. For tickets, go to www.cityclub.org and use code POLLING26 for 20% off nonmember tickets. Online ticket sales close on Sunday, June 14 at 11:30 am.

Where are the political right and left parties actually headed? The findings in a new Manhattan Institute for Policy Research poll urge us to be wary of the narratives pushed by online algorithms and corporate media, and to uncover the actual values of average Americans.

On Tue. 6/16, Jesse Arm, Vice President of External Affairs at the Manhattan Institute joins us to discuss his research and the future of democracy, in a conversation led by Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio and Television.

Tickets open to all! Use code POLLING26 for 20% off nonmember tickets!
https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2026/06/16/polling-the-divide-republicans-democrats-and-the-future-of-democracy

06/12/2026

Dear Ohio Secretary of State, make curbside voting more accessible for Ohioans with disabilities.

Ohio law guarantees the right to curbside voting for those who are physically unable to enter a polling location [R.C. 3501.29(C)]. While we have seen signs erected at all of the polling locations we’ve been to, the signs themselves are not accessible.

Are you a resident who wants to help make curbside voting more accessible?
➡️ Read the full open letter here: bit.ly/CURBSIDEVOTE
➡️ Sign and share the petition here: bit.ly/CURBSIDEPETITION

06/11/2026

Please call Governor Mike DeWine and urge him to veto House Bill 472!

Call (614) 644-4357 or (614) 466-3555, and let him know that:

- The legislation was rushed and didn’t provide an opportunity for a thorough review. There are likely to be unintended consequences.
- The procedures for providing copies of IDs through the mail or via an online portal leaves Ohioans’ personal information vulnerable.
- This is an unfunded and complicated mandate for boards of elections.
- There are already bipartisan election procedures in place to confirm the identity of those voting by mail.

Ohio Republican state lawmakers have sent a bill requiring absentee voters to provide a copy of their driver’s license or state ID starting with the November 2027 election to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.

06/10/2026

On Tuesday, the National Council of Jewish Women, Cleveland Section, awarded the Roslyn Z. Wolf Award to the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. Alice Allen accepted the $10,000 grant, which will be used for the Civic Power for Cleveland Families and Youth project, a 12-month civic education and community engagement initiative designed to connect Cleveland families to the local government structures and civic resources that shape their daily lives. The project pairs a neighborhood-based forum series with a youth panel series, parallel children’s civic literacy programming, and sustained community partnership outreach, creating a supported pathway from civic disengagement to informed, empowered participation.

06/09/2026

Please call your Ohio Senator and Ohio rep TODAY to help stop HB 472, which could make voting impossible for thousands of eligible Ohio voters.

Here's what's happening:
📃Until this week, HB 472 was a bipartisan bill focused on helping Ohioans experiencing homelessness obtain the documents they need to get an ID and participate in civic life. It was good!

😤 But now lawmakers are trying to replace it with a substitute bill that makes major changes to Ohio's vote-by-mail system.

🪢The new bill would require new photo ID for absentee voters, create a new online application system, and impose significant new responsibilities on county Boards of Elections.

Here's what's bad about the bill:
👵🏼 It will make voting by mail harder for a lot seniors, voters with disabilities, and other Ohioans who rely on absentee voting who can't easily get to the BMV

🗳️ It's an unfunded mandate for Boards of Elections, who are given huge new major new responsibilities to implement a brand new system with no clear funding plan

🧐 And this 121-page election bill was introduced with little time for the public—or even committee members—to review and understand it. It's being heard in House committee TODAY.

Election law is complicated. Changes this significant deserve careful review, public input, and thoughtful consideration before moving forward. Call your Ohio legislators—both your Ohio Senator AND your Ohio House member, to tell them to vote NO on HB 472 today. Find yours here: lwvohio.org/contact-your-legislator

06/09/2026

Ohio officials are preparing to once again mail unsolicited absentee ballot applications to all of Ohio’s registered voters ahead of the November election.

Ohio has sent absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in every even-year, general election – when races for statewide and federal offices are held – since 2012.

Ohio will spend $2.5 million mailing absentee ballot applications to all registered voters this year, continuing a practice in place since 2012.

06/07/2026

Support League of Women Voters! Purchase flowers, soil, containers, fertilizer, etc at Dean's Greenhouse in Westlake by June 25. Mention LWV upon purchase and 20% of sales will be donated to the Bay and Westlake/North Olmsted LWV chapters of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland.