A group of local citizens has announced plans to form a chapter of the League of Women Voters for Bedford, Bedford Heights, Oakwood, and Walton Hills — the communities which comprise the Bedford City School District.
An organizational meeting of the new chapter will take place by videoconference at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The chapter would be the most recent addition to the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, which has 10 regular chapters and a student chapter within Cuyahoga County.
With the help of the Hillcrest LWV chapter, the Bedford Council of PTAs, and Friends of the Southeast Library, the local group hosted a voter forum last fall featuring candidates for the Bedford school board. The forum offered an opportunity for interested residents to meet the candidates and hear the candidates’ answers to questions submitted by the audience. The event was well-received by those in attendance.
The national League of Women Voters is a prominent organization that conducts voter forums and runs voter registration drives. LWV roots began in a committee formed by the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1919. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified 100 years ago this month, and the league was established in the same year, making 2020 the centennial year for both national women’s suffrage and the League of Women Voters. Despite its name, which is linked to its historic origin, the league welcomes both men and women as members and leaders.
The Aug. 26 meeting will have two parts: a public information session and an organizational meeting for chapter members. Area residents may join the League of Women Voters at https://my.lwv.org/ohio/greater-cleveland/join. Until the new chapter is officially established and named, new members will leave the “chapter” blank vacant and contact the local group to indicate their intention to join. The local group can be reached by email at lwvcuyse@gmail.com.
