This month’s President’s Perspective is guest-authored by Co-President Elect Lissa Staley.
Greetings! I hope you will take a few minutes to read the updates below, and pick at least one as a chance to get more engaged. Will you sign up for a committee? Download the Point app and sign up for a volunteer event this summer? Spend a Friday evening making crafts for democracy? It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of summer with the League of Women Voters of Topeka and Shawnee County!
Fundraising Committee
At our May 2026 board meeting, formation of a Fundraising Committee was approved to make recommendations to the board for future fundraising activities. If you are interested in joining, contact us by email!
Naturalization Ceremonies
In addition to the League supporting naturalizations by providing educational materials at naturalization ceremonies, we have the opportunity to explore ways to support new citizens with accurate voter education through partnerships with existing organizations. Working in partnership with other nonpartisan organizations is one of the strengths of our League and we are able to accomplish so much more together.
Fun fact: Volunteering at Naturalization Ceremonies is part of what our Voter Services team does.
Needed: Voter Services Co-Chairs
Speaking of Voter Services, we’re looking for two or three people to step up and lead all of our Voter Services. This is an immediate need, under the mentorship of previous committee leaders. These co-chair roles would continue through the April 2027 election of officers and is an opportunity for several people to become more involved in League activities while considering what roles they are most interested in for the future. Email contactus@lwvtsc.org to learn more!
Craft Night in June
Coming up in early June, the LWVTSC will participate in a free Friday Night Crafts event to include making Vote No buttons, sharing voter information for the August primary, and incorporate the opportunity for postcard writing at the event as well. By inviting more community members into our efforts, we can engage additional people in promoting informed choices at the ballot box. Watch for details and button designs. Buttons will be distributed freely in our community.
Policy and Gift Options
The Board approved an amendment to our gift policy to include address the handling of donated stocks. League supporters have many options for supporting the League beyond their membership dues and volunteering their time and talents toward our work. Whether you are wanting to serve on the Voter Services or Fundraising Committees, assist the Treasurer, or use your retirement account’s RMD to benefit the LVWTSC, we can help you choose how you want to support the work of the League in ways that work for you.
2026 Election Season
We’re already preparing for a busy election season! The primary election is August 4. Remember: every Kansas voter has a ballot in the primary election because of the Constitutional Amendment! If you haven’t already, read our statement opposing this ballot initiative. Also, we will co-host another candidate meet & greet on July 13 with our partners the Topeka Voter Collaborative and other nonpartisan community organizations. This will be for all candidates running in a primary race for a statewide position or district that includes Shawnee County.
LWVUS Updates
The 2026 LWV National Convention will be held in Columbus, Ohio at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. Several LWV-TSC members plan to attend virtually, and we look forward to sharing updates with our members.
Unite & Rise: Consider joining our LWVUS Unite & Rise 8.5 effort which aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise against the anti- democratic actions of this administration. Go to LWV.org to sign up!
Legislative Session Resource. I encourage you to contact members of the Shawnee County legislative delegation, by phone or email, regarding proposed or passed legislation. Included below is their Statehouse contact information.
- Sen. Brenda Dietrich Room #223-E 785.296.7648Brenda.Dietrich@senate.ks.gov
- Sen. Rick Kloos Room # 418-E 785.296.7645Rick.Kloos@senate.ks.gov
- Sen. Patrick Schmidt Room #135-E 785.296-7372 Patrick.Schmidt@senate.ks.gov
- Sen. Kenny Titus Room #124-E 785.296.7656Kenny.Titus@senate.ks.gov
- Rep. John Alcala Room #173-W 785.296-7371 John.Alcala@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Jesse Borjon Room #512-N 785.296.7374Jesse.borjon@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Ken Corbett Room #187-N 785.296-7679 ken.corbet@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Kirk Haskins Room #43-S 785.296.7673Kirk.Haskins@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Kyle McNorton Room #561-W 785.296.7460Kyle.McNorton@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen 785.296.7669 Room #174-W Tobias.Schlingensiepen@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Alexis Simmons Room #43-S 785.296.7632Alexis.Simmons@house.ks.gov
- Rep. Virgil Weigel Room #451-S 785.296.7104virgil.weigel@house.ks.gov
Furthermore, you may access the Kansas Legislative website at http://kslegislature.gov to review bill status and content, house and senate calendars and committee schedules. Through this website you may listen to or via video streaming follow committee hearings and General Session proceedings.
An additional resource is the State Library. You may access their services in the following ways:
- Phone:800-432-3919 or 785-296-2149
- Legislative Hotline: 800-432-3924
- Email: infodesk@ks.gov
- Download the Ask a Librarian app to your mobile device.
