Dear friends,
When Donald Trump ran for president, he said he wanted to deport undocumented immigrants who have criminal backgrounds. Even though more than 70% of Knox County voters cast their ballot for Trump in 2024, I doubt many of those people expected masked agents from Homeland Security to roughly handle workers from a favorite restaurant like Pancho’s Tacos, and arrest at least four of them. All of the facts are not yet known, but still, this is a very sad moment for our county and our country – where we have long been proud to be a nation of immigrants. And I felt I’d be irresponsible if I didn’t start this month’s newsletter with a note of profound sadness that this country has come to this point. We are sending our heartfelt best hopes and wishes to Pancho’s Tacos and the affected workers.
What Can We Do?
No Kings Protest, October 18
Please come out to the No Kings 2 protest on Saturday, October 18, 1:00 – 2:00 pm, in Mount Vernon’s Public Square. The Trump regime is gradually chipping away at many of the rights and privileges we have taken for granted, and so we must peacefully protest to let the President and all of our state and federal representatives know that we will not accept a dictator King in this country. This event in Mount Vernon is our chance locally to be part of a nationwide day of protest (over 2,300 such events around the country are planned). Be part of what is expected to be, nationwide, historic in size. Registration ahead of time is not required, but really helps the organizers plan appropriately. Come prepared to protest peacefully and stand with your community!
Call DeWine About the Lack of Progress on Ohio’s Redistricting
So much is going on it’s sometimes hard to keep track of Ohio’s redistricting process, but the outcome could seriously affect future electoral outcomes. The latest, in a nutshell, is as follows: Republicans in the Ohio legislature were supposed to submit a proposed map by September 30, but they neglected to do so. (Democrats, of course, submitted their proposal.) The next milestone is October 31, by which time the Ohio Redistricting Commission is supposed to hold public hearings and come up with a map that has bipartisan support. Thus far, there has been no visible movement toward toward meeting this deadline, so a great action to take is to call Governor DeWine’s office and demand action. Here’s a good article that explains the current status. You can call DeWine’s office at (614) 644-4357 to voice your opinion.
Vote in Your Local Election This Year
Get informed about the local races in your community by reading this excellent guide, produced by students in association with Kenyon College’s Center for the Study of American Democracy.
Almost all of the races this year are non-partisan, but Mount Vernon City residents will have the opportunity to vote for Democratic candidate Dale Miller, for city council at-large, and there are a few interesting write-in candidates (without partisan labels) – especially in the third ward of Mount Vernon. Township and school board races are non-partisan, and there are some write-in candidates in those as well. All candidates for each precinct of Knox County, including write-ins, are listed here as well as covered in the Kenyon College guide mentioned above. Remember, if voting for a write-in candidate, you must both fill in the oval next to “write in” and write the person’s name in the space provided.
Early voting is underway at the Knox County Board of Elections, and mail-in ballots can still be requested. Also, be aware that a couple of Election Day polling locations have changed. If you are affected, you should have received a post card in the mail. For any questions, see the Board of Elections website for help. To check your voter registration, verify your polling location, and see exactly what your specific ballot will look like, find your voter information at https://lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/knox/vtrlookup.aspx – Just enter your name as requested, hit Search, and you’ll have access to all of those details.
Looking Forward to Next Year
November 2026 is going to be a critical moment for both our state and our nation. We’ll have the opportunity to get Sherrod Brown back as our senator (and say goodbye to Jon Husted, who was appointed – not elected – and has thanked Ohio for this honor by cutting Medicaid, money for food support, and generally toeing the Republican line at every opportunity.) We’ll also have an important governor’s race, and just about every statewide office will be up for grabs. The primary election to select candidates for 2026 will be held May 5, 2026, and the general election will be November 3. This gives you a lot of time to become familiar with the candidates – and you might start off by stopping by our office, open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11 am – 3 pm, at 9 E Vine Street in Mount Vernon. We have candidate petitions that need signatures, and we are happy to talk with you about any of the candidates.
Also at the office: Ohio Right to Marry and Ohio Equal Rights petitions.
A Recent Event: Ohio Democratic Party Dinner
Some of the Knox County Democrats attended the recent Ohio Democratic Party Dinner, and met many of the candidates. Bravo to those from Knox County who were able to attend!
I look forward to seeing you soon!
Kathy Tate
Chair, Knox County Democratic Party