FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2023
CONTACT
Marla Zwinggi, Communications Chair
League of Women Voters of Geauga
(440) 724-9683
Marla.Zwinggi@lwvgeauga.org
Voters! Mark Your Calendars
The League of Women Voters of Geauga Announces Its Fall Candidate Forums Ahead of November Election; Newly Adopted Empty Chair Policy Will Be Enforced
Geauga County, OH - The League of Women Voters of Geauga (LWVG) is pleased to announce four upcoming public candidate forums in which community members will have the opportunity to submit questions and have them answered, in-person, by individuals running for local office. Candidate forums will take place during the first two weeks of October and are hosted by the following school districts: Berkshire, Chardon, Kenston and West Geauga.
The goal of LWVG candidate forums is to provide voters relevant information so that they can make informed decisions when casting their ballot. “Geauga citizens are voters through and through. They consistently turn out for every election,” said LWVG President Shelly Lewis. “It is our job at the League to make sure that we provide an information onramp for citizens to learn as much as possible about the candidates, the issues, and the importance of voting, all while in a nonpartisan setting.” In the most recent August Special Election, Secretary of State results show Geauga County with the highest voter turnout in Ohio.
Contested races will be presented as follows:
October 3, 2023 at Kenston
Bainbridge Twp. Trustee, Bainbridge Twp. Fiscal Officer, Kenston Board of Education, Chagrin Falls Board of Education, Kenston’s Permanent Improvement Levy and local issues
October 4, 2023 at Berkshire
Parkman Twp. Trustee, Thompson Twp. Trustee, Troy Twp. Trustee, Berkshire Board of Education and local issues
October 5, 2023 at Chardon
Chardon Twp. Trustee, Hambden Twp. Trustee, Munson Twp. Trustee, Chardon Board of Education and local issues
October 10, 2023 at West Geauga
Munson Twp. Trustee, Newbury Twp. Trustee, Russell Twp. Trustee, West Geauga Board of Education and local issues
Representatives for the county-wide Geauga Public Health levy and Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services levy will be invited to each event as well.
In accordance with the Empty Chair Candidate Forum Policy adopted at LWVG’s annual meeting, invited candidates running in local school board, village, township and county races will be permitted to fully participate in the forum regardless of whether their opponents participate. This signals a change from previous practice.
In selecting these dates, LWVG considered holidays, religious observances, government meetings, school calendars and known local events. We strongly encourage candidates to mark their calendars so that they may share their views directly with the community members they wish to represent.
To facilitate timely communication about this event, candidates are asked to provide their personal or campaign email address to the LWVG Elections Committee at Elections@lwvgeauga.org.
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ABOUT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF GEAUGA
LWVG is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.