Our work in 2024-2025 - Westlake/North Olmsted - League of Women Voters Greater Cleveland

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Our Work in 2024-2025
Westlake/North Olmsted Chapter

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. The November 2024 Presidential Election and Citizens Not Politicians Amendment generated new enthusiasm and prompted new memberships. In 2025, our membership team had challenges getting accurate information due to the change from a local process to collect membership dues to a national/centralized membership process. Issues were resolved for members to ensure they were connected to the chapter.

Voter Service: Our priority last summer was educating voters on changes in election laws, promoting early voting and voting by mail if necessary. We participated again in North Olmsted’s Homecoming (a four-day festival in August 2024) 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 consistent opportunity for our Chapter to engage with our community and community leaders.

In September, by invitation from the Westlake Porter Public Library we hosted a table with volunteers in the library for National Voter Registration Day. Also in September, our members hosted a table at the Westlake Historical Society’s Clague House Yard Sale.

Then, leading up to the November 2024 General Election, our members volunteered at the Westlake Community Services Center (once a week for five weeks) and presented information at a North Olmsted Senior Center Luncheon. This work included assistance to seniors with voter registration, change of address, and vote by mail applications. We provided print outs from Vote411 for all issues on the ballot for Westlake voters.

The Westlake-North Olmsted Chapter, along with the Bay Village and Rocky River Chapters, hosted a Candidate Forum for Ohio's 7th Congressional District prior to the November 2024 General Election. The forum was in person and recorded.

Based on previous outreach to local Senior Living facilities to ensure they were prepared and able to vote, we received numerous requests to return to aid their residents and staff. Janice Patterson and Bruce Robinson coordinated ten visits to eight different senior living facilities in Westlake and North Olmsted in September and October, helping residents prepare for the November 2024 General Election and cultivating relationships with the facilities’ staff. The results included 24 new voter registrations, 50 address updates, 169 vote-by-mail applications, and numerous discussions on gerrymandering.

Under the leadership of Voter Service Chair Bruce Robinson, members from several LWV chapters registered voters at twice-monthly U.S. Naturalization ceremonies, resulting in more than 1,100 new citizens registered to vote in 2024. Four additional Naturalization Ceremonies were held outside the U.S. Court House, and we were invited by Global Cleveland to attend and register new citizens to vote. Prior to October’s start of early voting, Bruce Robinson coordinated a four-page mailing to each newly registered voter with detailed information on the process of voting to help boost the confidence of these first-time voters.

Advocacy: We spent much of June through November of 2024 advocating for the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment, including distributing yard signs, writing postcards, decorating two cars with members walking in Westlake’s July 4th parade in Westlake, making posters, honk-and-wave events near Crocker Park, and sharing information at a Westlake Walk/Run at the Recreation Center. We also submitted letters to the editor about the issue, encouraging voters to vote “Yes.” During early voting many members distributed information on Citizens Not Politicians at the County Board of Election building, and then again on Election Day at area polling locations.

We are proud of the many members who volunteered their time consistently since the start of signature collection, including member Carol Kelleher working as a “sign hub”, holding many discussions, and presenting to community groups on the importance of fair districts.

Chapter Events and Outreach: As a Chapter, we continued to focus on opportunities to learn and discuss the importance of preserving our democracy. Various events included a November post-election debrief meeting, a popular Holiday potluck luncheon, and in January 2024, we held a discussion on research presented in an article, “Growing Racial Disparities in Voter Turnout.” In February, League member and exhibit contributor, Janice Patterson, led members and other guests in a private tour of the Women in Politics exhibit at the Cleveland History Center.

Most recently, in May, our chapter sponsored a moderated conversation with State Senator Nickie Antonio. Senator Antonio serves our area and is the Minority Leader that was well attended by chapter members and the greater community.

Using many pieces of League memorabilia and some assistance from the Westlake Historical Society, our Chapter was featured in the Westlake Porter Public Library lobby display cases over four weeks in late October to late November. It was an opportunity to showcase our efforts over the decades in our community. We appreciate our local public library and historical society for their resources.

We will close out our year with our in-person catered Annual Meeting Luncheon on June 21, 2025 hosted in a member’s home. Also, from May 1 to June 30, along with LWV Bay Village, we are running a fundraiser with Dean’s Nursery to help replenish our chapter’s operating and advocacy budget.

We would like to thank our Leadership Team, particularly Bruce Robinson and Gale Husney (Voter Service),
Janice Patterson (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 growing our League leadership team, working with other local Leagues, and increasing our efforts with community partners going forward.

Kathy Woolner and Nadia Zaiem, Chapter Co-Chairs

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