The League of Women Voters of the Tiffin Area issued a statement Monday pushing back on claims made by State Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) that the organization deliberately excluded him from a District 88 candidates night held on March 18.
Click, who did not attend the event, wrote on Facebook afterward that the LWV had “boxed me and others out” by scheduling the forum on a Wednesday when the Ohio House was in session. He called a Fremont Kiwanis forum he attended the following day “the district’s first truly inclusive forum” and dismissed the LWV event as something that “resembled what it would look like if the Democrat blog Tiffin dot net had a podcast.”
“Fake News with a dash of rumors and liberal, unverified Click bashing all day long,” Click wrote. “Voters are smarter than that.”
The LWV board’s statement contradicts Click’s account on multiple points.
Event scheduled months before candidate filings
According to the statement, the March 18 candidates night was scheduled in the summer of 2025 and announced on the organization’s website at that time — months before candidate filing deadlines. The board said it declines all requests for date adjustments as a blanket policy “to be fair to all candidates.”
“Dates for Candidates Night are selected well in advance of candidate filing deadlines,” the board wrote.
Click invited multiple times, responded morning of event
The LWV board said Click did not respond to the original email invitation sent to all candidates at least a month before the event. A board member then personally invited Click while both were attending an America 250 event on Feb. 21 and followed up with an alternative email address.
On March 9, Click was notified that both of his opponents — Republican primary challenger Eric Watson and Democrat Aaron Jones — had confirmed their participation. Click did not respond until the morning of March 18 to say he would not attend.
“If candidates are unable to attend, they are offered the opportunity to send a volunteer with literature to pass out,” the board wrote.
Republican challenger Eric Watson and Democratic candidate Aaron Jones both participated in the forum. Watson addressed Click’s absence from the stage, telling the audience it was “kind of sad” that their sitting representative could not appear before constituents.
LWV says Click misrepresented redistricting lawsuit
The board also accused Click of misrepresenting a lawsuit involving the League of Women Voters and the State of Ohio.
“State Representative Gary Click misrepresented the lawsuit between the LWV and the State of Ohio,” the board wrote. “For clarity, the state chapter of LWV sued the state government over redistricting, and prevailed in the Ohio Supreme Court with a Republican Chief Justice. The LWV did not sue the Republican Party. The LWV of the Tiffin Area had no part in this lawsuit.”
LWV reaffirms nonpartisan mission
The statement opened by describing the League of Women Voters as “a non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to empowering everyone to participate in our democracy.” The Tiffin chapter said it has hosted candidates nights for decades to give citizens an opportunity to meet candidates and ask questions ahead of elections.
The board noted that all candidates are also given the opportunity to participate in the LWV Voter Guide, in which candidates receive a mailed questionnaire and their answers are published directly on the LWV of the Tiffin Area’s website.
The next candidates night is confirmed for Sept. 23, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Tiffin Middle School. All local candidates on the November ballot will be invited.
Attempts to reach Click’s office for comment were unsuccessful.
