League of Women Voters of Wayne County

Deadline for Receipt of Mail-In Absentee Ballots
2025-11-08 23:59 (America/New_York) | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Absentee Ballots for the November 4 election may be returned by mail or personally delivered to your county Board of Elections. If mailed, absentee ballots must be postmarked by November 3, 2025.

November 8, 2025 is the last day for Boards of Elections to receive non-UOCAVA (Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) absentee ballots (returned by U.S. mail) that have been postmarked on or before November 3. UOCAVA absentee ballots must be received (by mail) by Boards of Elections by this date to be counted.

The Wayne County Board of Elections website and office location are provided below, to assist you in returning your absentee ballot.

Wayne County Board of Elections - Board Meeting - Election Night
2025-11-04 19:00 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: On the agenda: GENERAL ELECTION – Election Night

Wayne County Board of Elections - Board Meeting - Election Day
2025-11-04 15:00 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: On the agenda: GENERAL ELECTION – Hospitals

Election Day / Receipt Deadline for Non-Mailed Absentee Ballots
2025-11-04 06:30 - 19:30 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Go to VoteOhio.gov for details. You can verify your Election Day polling place by going to https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/.

Postmark Deadline for Absentee Ballots
2025-11-03 23:59 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Absentee Ballots for the November 4 election may be returned by mail or personally delivered to your county Board of Elections. If mailed, absentee ballots must be postmarked by November 3, 2025. If hand delivered, they must be received by received by your Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m.

November 8, 2025 is the last day for Boards of Elections to receive non-UOCAVA (Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) absentee ballots (returned by U.S. mail) that have been postmarked on or before November 4. UOCAVA absentee ballots must be received (by mail) by Boards of Elections by this date to be counted.

The Wayne County Board of Elections website and office location are provided below, to assist you in returning your absentee ballot.

Deadline to Request Absentee Ballots
2025-10-28 21:00 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
The deadline to request absentee ballots is at the close of business (9:00 pm at the Wayne County Board of Elections), seven days before Election Day.

You can learn about absentee ballots and download the form to request your ballot at https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/how-to-request-your-absentee-ballot. A link to the Wayne County Board of Elections is also provided below.

Litigating for Liberation
2025-10-24 18:30 | Mackey Hall – Westminster Presbyterian Church, 353 East Pine Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: Litigating for Liberation with OCSILiO

Friday, October 24, 6:30 pm, at Westminster Presbyterian Church Mackey Hall

Learn more about OCSILiO’s mission in action in defending detained Ohio immigrants in their high-stake deportation proceedings “….rooted in the belief that no one should be imprisoned for seeking safety.” Hear from OCSILiO Executive Director, Brian Hoffman, plus first-hand stories from OCSILiO staff, College of Wooster Interns, and OCSILiO clients, with Q/A to follow. Enjoy Central-American finger foods provided by Immigrant Worker Project AMIGAS co-operative. Free-will offerings for OCSILiO will be accepted (with gifts of time and talent also appreciated).

The Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation and Outreach (“OCSILiO” – pronounced “auxilio”) was formed in 2020 as the first litigator-founded nonprofit legal services organization in Ohio focused primarily on clients seeking release from detention. OCSILiO recognizes that the current immigration crisis in the United States is as much a problem of democracy as it is of litigation, and welcomes the opportunity to address the public about relevant topics in the rapidly developing field of immigration law and prospective reforms. Many of Attorney Hoffman’s clients enjoy the opportunity to participate in public outreach events as well, and their experiences and images have been featured in media ranging from local community theater productions to the covers of United Nations publications.

Redistricting Shenanigans
2025-10-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Online event
Event of Interest: From Red Wine & Blue, Common Cause Ohio, and League of Women Voters of Ohio: Join us for a virtual dive into the messy world of Ohio’s redistricting process. We’ll unpack how politicians drew the lines to protect their power instead of our voices, explore the real harm caused by split communities, and call out the tricks and traps that keep our maps unfair.

We’ll connect the dots between gerrymandering and the issues that impact our communities—and we’ll talk about how we can push for maps that actually represent us.

It’s time to draw the lines—together.

For more info and to RSVP, go here: https://secure.everyaction.com/DKkmszJEY0O0D5xp1Ikg9A2

Democracy and Academic Freedom: A Forum - Session 3
2025-10-15 19:30 | Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center, 525 East University Street, Wooster, Ohio, 44691
Event of Interest: The College of Wooster will welcome three speakers for a series of lectures and dialogues titled Democracy and Academic Freedom, A Forum. Speakers will address a range of topics, reflecting on academic freedom in global, institutional, and educational contexts, with a Q&A session to follow. The series, which begins Wednesday, Sept. 3, includes the annual Constitution Day and Bell Lecture in Law on Sept. 17, and the Annual Lindner Lecture on Ethics on Oct. 15. Open to the public, the talks will take place in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street) at 7:30 p.m. and will also be live streamed on the College website.

The Annual Lindner Lecture in Ethics will conclude the series with “Academic Freedom and Academic Responsibility” featuring Robert Talisse, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. An American philosopher and political theorist, Talisse will explore the responsibilities that correspond with the guarantee of academic freedom and the liberty of professors to pursue and teach their areas of expertise, “developing the idea that academic responsibility includes helping to equip students to navigate a social world that does not yet exist.” Talisse earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2001. His principal area of research is political philosophy, with an emphasis on democratic theory and the civic responsibilities of citizenship. Among his many other works, Talisse recently published Civic Solitude: Why Democracy Needs Distance with Oxford University Press.

More information is available at https://wooster.edu/2025/08/07/wooster-to-welcome-speakers-for-democracy-and-academic-freedom-a-forum-beginning-in-september/

Let's Talk About School Finances & Levies (online event)
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Online event
Event of Interest: From Red Wine & Blue: School board seats are on the ballot this fall—and who we elect really matters. These folks make big decisions about school budgets, and those choices ripple out to affect every student, every family, and our whole community.

That’s why on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM, we’re sitting down with John Espy, Treasurer for Loveland City Schools in Southwest Ohio. He’ll walk us through the ins and outs of school district finances—budgets, bond issues, levies, and more—so you’ll leave feeling confident about how it all works. Susie Kaser, with the League of Women Voters, will share her expertise in school financing by discussing the background of school funding in Ohio and how it got us to where we are now.

And because we know how important it is to choose candidates who will make smart financial decisions, we’ll also share our School Board Elections Toolkit—a handy resource to help you research and support strong, qualified candidates.

This will be a virtual event hosted on Zoom. Details will be emailed to you after registration.

For more info and to RSVP, go here: https://secure.everyaction.com/S0fzd060v0uJ7yyKUGj_1A2

Wayne County Board of Elections - Board Meeting
2025-10-09 10:30 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: On the agenda: Final Allocations (ballots, ICX, PEO)

Early In-Person Voting Begins
2025-10-07 08:00 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Go to VoteOhio.gov for details or visit the Wayne County Board of Elections website at https://www.waynecountyoh.gov/. If you are outside Wayne County, you can find your Early Voting location by going to https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/early-voting/.

In addition, the first absentee ballots will be mailed out on this day.

Deadline for Voter Registration
2025-10-06 20:30 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
You can register to vote online in Ohio. Go to VoteOhio.gov to register, check your registration, download an absentee ballot for printing, see Early Voting times, and to learn about voter ID requirements. A link to the Wayne County Board of Elections is also provided below.

LWVWC Candidates Forum 2025
2025-10-05 15:00 | Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH, 44691
LWVWC Event:

Candidates Forum 2025
Questions & Answers with candidates for:

Wooster City Council
Wooster School Board

Political Rhetoric and Misinformation in Democracy
2025-09-30 19:00 | Lean Lecture Room in Wishart Hall, 303 E. University Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
LWVWC Event:

In a world rampant with misinformation and political polarization, The League of Women Voters of Wayne County is presenting “Political Rhetoric and Misinformation in Democracy”, a program designed to inform attendees on how to recognize, sort through and identify this bi-partisan phenomenon. Free and open to the public, the event will be held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., in the Lean Lecture room, lower level of Wishart Hall, 303 E. University Street, on the College of Wooster Campus.

A panel of noted published experts, will present a non-partisan look at how different political strategies and data can be used to sway and confuse the public.

Featured will be the following speakers:

Elora Agsten – Learning Engagement Librarian, College of Wooster

Denise Bostdorff – Professor of Communication Studies, College of Wooster

Lauren Copeland – Principal Consultant, Data and Dialogue Insights

“As always, the League’s focus continues to be educating citizens to use their voice and their vote by making informed choices that truly reflect their wishes on both issues and candidates,” Brenda Linnick, league member, said. “Our goal for this event is to enable attendees to recognize how both sides of the political spectrum are equal opportunity offenders and use data and words to sway and polarize voters.”

The League understands that polarization created by political rhetoric and misinformation leads to divides within society and can undermine the democratic process. The group strives to present educational opportunities which can help community members engage in real, informed civil discourse.

NAACP Wooster/Orrville Freedom Fund Dinner
2025-09-28 17:00 | Greystone Event Center, 50 Riffel Road, Wooster, 44691
Event of Interest: From the Wooster Orrville NAACP:

On Sunday, September 28, 2025, Greystone Conference and Event Center, located at 50 Riffel Road in Wooster, Ohio, will be hosting the Wooster/Orrville NAACP Annual Freedom Fund Dinner and the 60th Anniversary of our branch. We invite you to join us in this celebration.

We will have a reception at 5:00 pm, where you can take time to review and bid on the donated items for our Silent Auction, along with a visual presentation of the accomplishments over the years. At 6:00 pm we will prepare for dinner.

Our Keynote Speaker for the evening will be Professor Mark P. Denbeaux, a graduate of the College of Wooster. He is an American attorney who holds the position of law professor at Seton. He is also an author and had a profound involvement with Guantanamo issues with Torture and National Security. He was co-founder of the NAACP at the College of Wooster which led to the current Wooster/Orrville NAACP Adult Branch.

More information at https://www.wooster-orrvillenaacp.org/event-details/2025-freedom-fund-dinner

Our Constitution is Under Threat: Speak Out!
2025-09-21 14:00 | College of Wooster Learning Garden Pavilion, 437 East Pine Street, Wooster, Ohio, 44691
Event of Interest: This event is being organized by the Wooster Advocacy group, in collaboration with student organizations on campus, and with the support of community organizations including the NAACP, League of Women Voters of Wayne County, and OSCILiO Immigration Litigation Center.

Some of these organizations will have speakers at the event, addressing various aspects of Constitutional rights under threat. And everyone – campus and wider community – is invited to participate in the speak-out portion of the event to share their concerns about the current state of our Constitutional rights – and ideas for how to organize together to protect our democracy.

Food and light refreshments will be provided.

Parking is available on Pine Street.

Election Protection Summit 2025
2025-09-20 10:00 - 15:00 | Encova Building, 471 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH, 43215
Event of Interest: From the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition:

Please join the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition for our 2nd annual Election Protection Summit.

This event is intended for Election Protection poll monitors, Election poll workers, Peacekeepers, and Boards of Election monitors. We will have various break out sessions throughout the day. We will send out a detailed agenda and list of speakers prior to the event. Lunch is provided.

More information at https://actionnetwork.org/events/election-protection-summit-2025

Democracy and Academic Freedom: A Forum - Session 2
2025-09-17 19:30 | Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center, 525 East University Street, Wooster, Ohio, 44691
Event of Interest: The College of Wooster will welcome three speakers for a series of lectures and dialogues titled Democracy and Academic Freedom, A Forum. Speakers will address a range of topics, reflecting on academic freedom in global, institutional, and educational contexts, with a Q&A session to follow. The series, which begins Wednesday, Sept. 3, includes the annual Constitution Day and Bell Lecture in Law on Sept. 17, and the Annual Lindner Lecture on Ethics on Oct. 15. Open to the public, the talks will take place in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street) at 7:30 p.m. and will also be live streamed on the College website.

The forum will continue Wednesday, Sept. 17, with the Constitution Day and Bell Distinguished Lectureship in Law: “The Art of the Deal: Free Speech in the Age of Trump” featuring Jamal Greene, Dwight Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. Greene teaches courses in constitutional law, the law of the political process, and comparative constitutional law. He is the author of How Rights Went Wrong: Why Our Obsession with Rights is Tearing America Apart, as well as numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on constitutional law and theory. From January 2023 to December 2024, he served as deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel. He served as a law clerk to Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and to John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his A.B. from Harvard College.

More information is available at https://wooster.edu/2025/08/07/wooster-to-welcome-speakers-for-democracy-and-academic-freedom-a-forum-beginning-in-september/

Fair Maps Day 2025
2025-09-17 10:30 - 12:30 | Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43202
Event of Interest: Ohio is constitutionally required to draw a new congressional map this fall. We are already one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, but without us demanding fair representation, there’s a good chance it’s going to get even worse.

As Ohio politicians begin redrawing our congressional map, we have the opportunity to come together in a show of force to let the politicians in the Statehouse know we are still here and we’re not going anywhere.

Join Ohioans from each of our 15 congressional districts for Fair Maps Day, brought to you by Fair Districts Ohio and Equal Districts. We’re coming together to surround the Ohio Statehouse with this message: no more cheating Ohioans out of fair representation!

Fair Maps Day on September 17 is our chance to put politicians on notice that we are paying attention, and we demand that politicians respect voters and the rules of the Ohio Constitution. The day’s event will include speakers, actions, and more.

For more info and to RSVP, go here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/636e40d7aa96a6f57e08789775c8d3d0d37c1410

LWVO Airstream Voter Registration Tour
2025-09-09 10:00 - 14:00 | Lowry Student Center – College of Wooster, 1189 Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH, 44691
LWVWC Event: Members of LWV of Wayne County will be located near the entrance to Lowry Student Center at the College of Wooster on Tuesday, September 9 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, along with representatives from the League of Women Voters of Ohio, to register college students and help them request absentee ballots. Not registered? Want to vote absentee? Stop by and see us; look for the Airstream trailer and our tables!

AAUW Wooster 2025-2026 Kickoff
2025-09-04 18:30 - 20:00 | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wayne County UUFWC, 3186 Burbank Rd, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: Bring a friend on Sept 4 to find out about the AAUW Wooster Branch and what they do at the local, state, and national levels. Membership is open to all who have an associates or bachelor‘s degreefrom an accredited institution.

SPEAKERS:

Peter Roberts will speak about the collaboration with Kiwanis for the annual used book sale.

Karen Armstrong, Past President, will speak about scholarships for women whose education has been interrupted by life circumstances.

Rush Rogers, AAUW Worthington Branch President and AAUW Ohio Programming Chair will talk about the exciting things going on at the state level and the advocacy work being done at the national level.

Wayne County Board of Elections - Board Meeting
2025-09-04 10:30 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: On the agenda: Certify Write-Ins for General Election

Democracy and Academic Freedom: A Forum - Session 1
2025-09-03 19:30 | Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center, 525 East University Street, Wooster, Ohio, 44691
Event of Interest: The College of Wooster will welcome three speakers for a series of lectures and dialogues titled Democracy and Academic Freedom, A Forum. Speakers will address a range of topics, reflecting on academic freedom in global, institutional, and educational contexts, with a Q&A session to follow. The series, which begins Wednesday, Sept. 3, includes the annual Constitution Day and Bell Lecture in Law on Sept. 17, and the Annual Lindner Lecture on Ethics on Oct. 15. Open to the public, the talks will take place in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street) at 7:30 p.m. and will also be live streamed on the College website.

Eve Darian-Smith, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Global and International Studies at University of California, Irvine will open the series with “Contemporary Attacks on Academic Freedom: Historical and Comparative Perspectives” on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Darian-Smith, an award-winning scholar and teacher, trained in law, history, and anthropology, will discuss situations affecting colleges across the United States and around the world. “Reflecting on the global context helps us to better understand what we are facing, and how to resist and defend our right to think freely and challenge antidemocratic forces,” said Darian-Smith. She has published widely in her field including seven books and seven edited volumes. Her most recent book, Policing Higher Education: The Antidemocratic Attack on Scholars and Why It Matters (2025, Johns Hopkins UP) explores the essential role of higher education and academic freedom in thriving democracies. She is a fellow at the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom (American Association of University Professors) which develops national briefs and strategies to defend scholars who have been censored.

More information is available at https://wooster.edu/2025/08/07/wooster-to-welcome-speakers-for-democracy-and-academic-freedom-a-forum-beginning-in-september/

LWVWC at Downtown Wooster Final Friday
2025-08-29 17:00 - 20:00 | Wooster Public Square Historic District, S Market Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: Look for LWVWC at Final Friday in downtown Wooster on August 29 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. We will be located outside, in-between New World Spice and Tea at 142 East Liberty Street, and Roomscapes at 146 East Liberty Street in Wooster. We will have information on the League and our work: Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy. Not registered to vote? You can register right at our table!

Human Trafficking in Ohio and Our County
2025-08-25 19:00 | Best Western Hotel and Conference Center, Crown Room, 243 East Liberty Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
LWVWC Event: Our August 25 program will address the topic of human trafficking. Our speaker will be Joe Morbitzer, Retired Superintendent, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. We will also have a special guest: Gayle Byrne, Response Coordinator at OneEighty. Topics they will cover include:

The complexity of human trafficking issues and organizations

The statistics for our state and local regions

How state and local law enforcement are combating it

How local organizations are supporting victims

Plus Q&A with the speakers

Slides from Joe Morbitzer’s presentation (use controls at bottom of slide to advance or zoom)

HumanTrafficking-JMorbitzer-2025_0825

You can also view slides on their own page (large pdf)

Slides from Gayle Byrne’s presentation (use controls at bottom of slide to advance or zoom)

HumanSexTrafficking-GByrne-2025_0825

You can also view slides on their own page (large pdf)

Wayne County Board of Elections - Board Meeting
2025-08-14 10:30 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: On the agenda: Certify Candidates/Issues for General Election

How Local Government Works for Us - A Conversation with Nicholas Cascarelli, Wayne County Health Commissioner
2025-07-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Wayne County Public Library – East/West Conference Room, 220 West Liberty Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
LWVWC Event: Find out how the Health Department touches all county citizens directly or indirectly as Commissioner Cascarelli discusses➢ The scope of the department’s responsibility➢ Its impact on the community➢ How it works with local partner organizations to expand its community outreach➢ And answers questions from the community audience

The community is invited to join The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Wayne County as we host Health Commissioner Nicholas Cascarelli for Part 1 of “How Local Government Works for Us”. Come and learn about a local hidden gem as Commissioner Cascarelli discusses the enormous scope of the Health Department’s work for the citizens of Wayne County. This free event is open to the public and begins at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 in the East/West Conference Room of the Wayne County Public Library (220 W. Liberty St. in downtown Wooster).

If you live in Wayne County, the Health Department touches your life in some manner, directly or indirectly. If you’ve ever wondered about who to call for help related to your well water safety/testing, septic discharge from your neighbor, restaurants or food truck sanitary conditions, where to get birth and death certificates, overseas travel immunizations, childhood and adult disease information/support, overdose suicide numbers, helping a young mother-to-be obtain pre-natal healthcare, and many other personal and environmental health and wellness topics, the Health Department may be the resource you need.

Commissioner Cascarelli will address the scope of the department’s responsibility, its impact on the community and how it works with partner organizations to expand its outreach to the community. The community will have an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation.

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Slides from the meeting (use controls at bottom of slide to advance or zoom)WayneCountyHealthDept-Cascarelli-Presentation-2025_07

You can also view slides on their own page (large pdf)

LWVWC at Downtown Wooster Final Friday
2025-07-25 17:00 - 20:00 | Wooster Public Square Historic District, S Market Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: Look for LWVWC at Final Friday in downtown Wooster on July 25 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. We will be located in front of Books In Stock, 140 East Liberty Street in Wooster. We will have information on the League and our work: Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy. Not registered to vote? You can register right at our table!

Wayne County Board of Elections - Board Meeting
2025-07-10 10:30 | Wayne County Board of Elections, 200 Vanover Street, Wooster, OH, 44691
Event of Interest: On the agenda: Preliminary Allocations (ballots, ICX, PEO)
