News | LWVTSC | League of Women Voters of Topeka-Shawnee County

Posted March 18th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Voter.

Stay up to date on LWV happenings in Topeka and Shawnee County!

Calendar of Events

Tuesday | April 7 at 12pm | Marvin 101BC at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Tuesday Topics: LWV Topeka Shawnee County Annual Meeting

Friday | April 10 at 11am | Anton Room, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Book Club: Maus, a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman. View more information.

Saturday | April 11 from 11am to 1pm | Claire’s Sunroom, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Vote 411 Day: You registered. You voted. Now what? More information here.

Saturday | April 25 | Great Bend, KS
LWV Kansas Council Meeting, Register Here

Action Alerts: State and Federal Bills

Much is happening at the state and federal levels regarding election and voting bills! Check out our latest Action Alerts to stay up-to-date and find ways to make your voice heard.
Two current opportunities:

The League of Women Voters of Kansas is watching several pieces of legislation working their way through the Kansas House and Senate. Click here to read up on bills that are still active, and find links to contact your state legislators.
The LWV opposes the SAVE Act! This proposed federal legislation would create unnecessary barriers for all eligible Americans to participate in the registration and voting process. Read more and find links to take action here.

Presidents Perspective

Greetings and Happy April,

I hope you enjoyed celebrating in some way the Women History Month in March. It is so enriching to know how much women have contributed and continue to contribute in this state, country and world. Thank you for your contribution!

It goes without saying that legislative bills passed by the Election committee continue to meet the goals of the committee and its leadership rather than the constituents. The League continues to voice our position against voter suppression bills! Read more…

Local Observer Reports

Observer Reports have a new look! Check out this month’s report for a streamlined overview of eight city and county meetings. Topics covered include solar installations, election security, and the selection of a new City Council member to represent District 8. Big month for local government news!

LWV observers keep you informed about what is happening in local government. The Local Observer Corps volunteers attend city, county and school board meetings and take notes.

Observer Reports will be posted on our website to help get our members this useful and actionable information in a more timely manner.

It’s Time to Double Check your League Membership

Due to the change in the annual membership system, many members may have accidentally missed their renewal date. Luckily, renewing has never been easier! Just follow this link to the Join/Renew section of our website. Everything you need to know is there.

Become a Member Today | LWVTSC

If you’re not sure its time for you to renew, send me an email and I’ll check for you: allanpqz@gmail.com
-Allan Foster, Membership Chair

Tuesday Topics is April 7: LWV TSC Annual Meeting

Join us at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library for our monthly civic education presentation. Every April, we hold our Annual Meeting for all members to hear the annual report from the board, budget updates, different committees, and what to expect for the coming year. Members will vote to elect officer and board members as well as adopt the annual budget. View all the event details here.

March Recap

For the Tuesday Topics presentation by Carol Morgan, President of the Topeka Audubon Society, there were 62 people in attendance, including 48 members, 7 visitors, and 7 Zoom attendees.

Birding and Civic Engagement
Two concepts from the presentation relate uniquely to LWVTSC members focused on promoting political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government.
Spark Birds
Carol Morgan asked: Do you have a “spark bird” that sparked you to become a birdwatcher? Many birders can point to the first bird that captured their interest and started their journey to learn more.
Do you have a “spark issue” that started your own journey with civic engagement?
Complementary Interests
Birdwatching also has some complementary interests common to the hobby, for example zoom photography is also popular with birders who want to capture an image of the bird they spotted. What complementary interests go along with civic engagement for you?

Join the LWVTSC Book Club

The LWVTSC book club meets at 11 am on the second Friday of every month. We’re currently meeting in the Anton Room on the 2nd floor of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. Lunch in the Millennium Café following the discussion is optional. Anyone is welcome. Contact Carole Jordan for more information.

Upcoming titles:
April 10 – Maus, by Art Spiegelman
May 8 – We the People, by Jill Lepore
June 12 – In the Time of Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez

LWV Board Updates

Make sure to attend the LWVTSC Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 7, during the Tuesday Topics time slot at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.
All members are invited to attend the LWV Kansas Council Meeting in Great Bend on Saturday, April 25. Registration is here.
Our Voter Services team is looking for folks to join the fun! Are you looking for opportunities to meet more LWV members, get out and attend fun events, and engage with Shawnee County students? Let us know! Email contactus@lwvtsc.org.

Unite and Rise 8.5: A LWVUS Initiative to Defend Democracy

Unite & Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of this administration. Launching in May 2025 and running until the 2026 midterm elections, this initiative is part of our Women Defend Democracy campaign.

Unite and Rise 8.5 will fight for our democracy on multiple fronts, from the courts to the streets. More actions will be outlined in the future, but there are several actions along with more information at https://www.lwv.org/uniteandrise.

State League Action Alerts & Newsletter

Stay informed of State League of Women Voters activity.

Do you find this information valuable?

Your membership dues make this work possible. Consider making an additional donation to the LWV of Topeka and Shawnee County to support the programs, events, and communications that promote civic engagement in our community.

Posted March 17th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Action Alert.

The League of Women Voters opposes the SAVE Act as it will create unnecessary barriers for all eligible Americans to participate in the registration and voting process. The legislation is a blatant attempt to erode voter confidence ahead of the November elections and undermine election integrity based on lies about who is voting. These claims are born out of an anti-immigrant agenda in direct opposition to this country’s values.

“The right to vote is the fundamental promise of democracy, and we must protect it at all costs. We need our elected officials to prioritize impactful legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act that would strengthen voting rights instead of bills that sow disinformation and fear.

https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/lwv-responds-house-vote-save-act

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22/text

Take action and tell Senators to oppose the SAVE Act: https://www.lwv.org/save-act

FEDERAL LEGISLATION: Stop the SAVE America Act

https://www.lwvohio.org/

What is the SAVE America Act?

The SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) America Act is a bill in Congress that would require every American to provide documentary proof of citizenship – in person – to register to vote in federal elections, or to change or update their voter registration to vote in federal elections. This bill would also require new photo ID requirements for federal elections, and requires states to turn their voter rolls over to the Department of Homeland Security.

This bill passed in the US House February 11, 2026, and will now go to Committee in the US Senate. You can read the House bill here.

Are the SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act the same?

No. The SAVE America Act is worse.

The SAVE Act, a bill that was passed by the US House in 2025, and a similar version before that in 2024, focuses on new, strict requirements for voter registration (more below).

The SAVE America Act, introduced in 2026, includes the same strict voter registration restrictions as previous versions of the SAVE Act but adds:

photo ID requirements for in-person voting: voters would be required to provide government-issued photo ID to vote in person; specifically U.S. passports, driver’s licenses, state IDs, military IDs and tribal IDs.
photo ID requirements for absentee voting: voters would be required to include a copy of an eligible photo ID both when requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.
requirement that states to turn over their voter registration list to the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database: this database has been shown to have frequent inaccuracies and inadequate privacy protection. The bill would also allow federal agencies to share private information with each other and with the heads of federal departments.
criminal penalties, including imprisonment, on election workers for mistakenly registering voters without proof of citizenship: these penalties would apply even if the individual is a US Citizen.

Why is the SAVE America Act bad?

To start, it’s important to know these requirements are wholly unnecessary, as citizenship is already verified by election officials in every state before voter granting eligibility, and voter fraud is exceedingly rare.

But the real issue is that very few kinds of documentation meet the “documentary proof of citizenship” definition. The narrow kinds of accepted ID would make registering to vote difficult, if not impossible, for millions of eligible voters.

Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) needs to show citizenship on its face—the document must explicitly say the holder is a citizen. For the overwhelming majority of Americans, documentation would be limited to birth certificates, passports, and naturalization certificates only.
REAL ID cards in most states would not be accepted: In all but 5 states (Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington), REAL ID cards don’t show citizenship. Driver’s licenses, state-issued IDs, and US Veterans ID would also not be accepted.

If an eligible voter doesn’t have a passport and their name doesn’t match their birth certificate or naturalization papers, the process for deciding voter eligibility is left to the state. What that would actually look like is unclear.

States can make their own rules about what kind of additional documentation is required to prove the voter’s identity, but there are no standards for what that would be: A state could decide a marriage certificate showing the eligible voter’s name change in concert with their birth certificate wasn’t enough to prove citizenship– that kind of ambiguity makes room for policies that could make proving citizenship almost impossible for many. Election officials are allowed to offer voters who bring DPOC that doesn’t match their name the chance to sign an affidavit attesting they are the same person, but they don’t have to and many states will not.
Whatever a state decides has to go through legal channels, which can take a long time and leave many eligible voters behind: If there’s an election before Kansas passes a new law to address this, countless Kansans could be denied their constitutional right to vote.

SAVE America Act would only allow voter registration in person with an election official. If the SAVE America Act becomes law, eligible voters could only register or re-register in person, and only election officials would be able to register or re-register them.

This would effectively end voter registration by mail, online voter registration, and community voter drives: Eligible voters would be banned from registering or updating their voter registration by mail, through community registration drives at schools, churches, and public events, at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), or anywhere else election officials were not. In addition to severely limiting Kansans’ opportunities to vote, this would also place an extraordinary burden on our election system, which does not have the capacity to verify citizenship eligibility in person for thousands and thousands of Kansans.
If SAVE America was passed into law today, the only place in Kansas where people could register or re-register would be county Election Offices: Kansas has only one per county.

LWV Ohio has listed more about how millions who would be impacted if the SAVE Act came into law here.

Tell US Senators Marshall and Moran to OPPOSE the SAVE Act here

Posted March 17th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Action Alert.

The League of Women Voters of Kansas opposes legislation that unnecessarily restricts voters’ opportunities and ability to vote.
The following bills in the Kansas legislature would disenfranchise voters or create unnecessary barriers to voting:

HB 2453 – Moves up Elections Calendar; voter registration from 21 to 25 days, eliminates early voting on Monday before elections, requests mailed ballot from 7 to 14 days before election. Hearing 3/17 in Senate Fed & State. Would be enacted upon passage. Counties already have websites and materials with current voting deadlines for this year.

HB 2569 – All voting/election court cases would be held in Shawnee County. Creates hardship for plaintiffs in other parts of the state.

SB 394 – Would eliminate all mail ballots (except as required by federal law) if the court deems signature verification is unconstitutional. No exceptions for elderly, handicapped, out-of-town workers, etc.

HB 2448 – Citizenship status on all driver licenses. Invites probable harassment or discrimination for non-citizens.

HB 2438 – Online voter registration only on .gov or S.O.S. approved website. Would make it illegal for election officials to accept any online voter registration (even if valid) from any other site.

H Sub for SB 231 – (gut and go to replace text with HB 2452) Moves all elections to even number years. Makes it difficult for down ballot candidates (school board, city commissions/councils) to have a voice when competing with national or state-wide elections.

H Sub for SB 451 – (addsL SB 395 (act blue) + HB 2451 (local gov ballot) + amendment on (primary reporting) A campaign finance monster. Creates difficult reporting for small donations.

HB 2437 – Voter roll matching; marci francisco’s amendments accepted: broke out reporting numbers– dead, moved, non-citizen, etc. Changed 5 days to 45 days to correct flag, alerts sent to both addresses, and strikes non-gov entities for comparisons.

HCR 5021 – Voter ID Constitutional Amendment; Only Voter ID that requires proof of citizenship are accepted to vote – documents that not all citizens can easily obtain and would forfeit many citizens (students, elderly, handicapped, low income, recently moved to Kansas) right to vote.

Contact your Kansas legislators and tell them to vote NO on these unnecessary bills:
House Roster
Senate Roster

Posted March 16th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under President's Perspective.

Greetings and Happy April,

I hope you enjoyed celebrating in some way the Women History Month in March. It is so enriching to know how much women have contributed and continue to contribute in this state, country and world. Thank you for your contribution!

It goes without saying that legislative bills passed by the Election committee continue to meet the goals of the committee and its leadership rather than the constituents. The League continues to voice our position against voter suppression bills!

It is expected that many legislators will begin election campaigning efforts soon. At the voting booth is where constituents can make a difference.

There will be a constitutional amendment vote in August on whether the merit system for the Supreme Court should be changed. The LWVK, which is comprised of all of the local leagues, including the League of Topeka and Shawnee County has taken the position to vote No, thus retaining the current merit system. Palm cards will be available soon supporting this position. If you are interested in receiving cards to educate others, please reach out to our board members in late April.

Legislative focus

I continue to summarize bills introduced and provide updates as currently known by the LWVTSC below:

HB 2437 – This bill proposes to expand the list of data sources that can be used to remove people from voter registration rolls. It would need careful monitoring to ensure people are not improperly removed and that electors data is not improperly shared with unauthorized or unknown users. passed

HB 2438 – This bill limits the ways people can register online to vote. This bill would target the dismantling of websites that have been vetted to seek registration of voters for years and have been more reliable than even the Secretary of State website, which has gone down and does not always provide effective data. Most importantly, this bill sets up a monopoly which forces the funneling of people interested in registering, and could promote a system shutdown, limiting the people’s access during critical election windows. amended to remove ksvotes ban, still problematic for issues with federal compliance re rejecting federal voter reg forms

HB 2447 – This bill institutes a presidential preference primary beginning in March 2028. It could add additional costs and is simply an ineffective proposal.

HB 2448 – This bill appears to require citizenship status to be listed on KS driver’s licenses. Status could become outdated since licenses are valid for 6 years. Also, the passage of this bill could be dangerous in racial profiling which is always an ongoing concern for our communities of color. This state has worked diligently to minimize racial profiling only to have this committee try to reinstate the practice. We appear to be going in reverse of enhancing voting rights!

HB 2451 – This bill appears to prohibit use of state and local government assets to advocate for or against ballot questions. It could limit the flow of information to voters. This is significant as voters have a right to be informed voters and this can only be done through open access rather than imposing restrictions.

HB 2452 – This bill appears to move local elections to even-numbered years. It would lead to excessively long ballots with local elections at the end and subject to voter fatigue. It also would significantly enhance confusion for voters thus jeopardizing the ability to seek or become informed on voting issues.

Hb2453- Change Election Year – hearing 3/17

HB 2493 – This bill would require a person delivering an advance voting ballot to be a qualified elector and to put their driver’s license number on the ballot envelope. It limits who can transport ballots; and a person’s driver’s license number is unnecessary. This is significant overreach that can only lead to voter suppression and strips the freedom from advance voters who have chosen to have others deliver their ballots. The current process is significant enough to aid in the advance ballot process without bogging the process down administratively and for Kansas voters.

HB 2494 – This bill allows candidates in a nonpartisan election to add their party or political affiliation to their name on the ballot. This bill has no positive added value except to a political party rather than to the people of Kansas. Part of the escalated issues and conflict now on election bills introduced by the Election Committee this year is because of a partial party focus rather than focusing on the desires of Kansas residents overall. It goes without saying that this bill compromises the nonpartisan nature of local elections.

HCR 5021 – This bill proposes to amend the Kansas Constitution to require a photo ID issued by the state or federal government to vote. This bill is not necessary given the current requirements for voting and is also another strategy for adding insult to injury. Enough!

The LWVTSC has aligned with other local organizations to collectively push back against voter suppression. Please join us by contacting your legislator and voicing your opinion verbally or in writing. Encouraging others to do so will certainly help. Thank you in advance.

Tuesday Topics

Many thanks to our March speaker, Carol Morgan, President of the Topeka Audubon Society. She provided an exceptional presentation filled with education on our small and large feathered species. It was so obvious that she spends a great deal of time seeking and observing our native and visiting birds and it was exciting to hear the statistics of the various species we have nationally, statewide, and locally.

Young Adults Advocacy Initiative

We have received information from an organization that can possibly help us through reimbursed funding next year. We are hoping that an injection of funds to help kick off this initiative will be critical to those interested in restructuring our new initiative – Young adult legislative advocacy. If this is a passion for you, we need you. If you have skills or hobbies that include mentoring, teaching, debate, public speaking, research, legislative advocacy, social media and/ or tech marketing, this committee is for you! This role is very important in including our young adults in civic engagement while promoting the work of our organization.

Our lifeblood – you!

Our calls are underway to reach out to our our members. If you haven’t renewed yet, please consider doing so. If you are waiting to hear from us, have no fear, you are on our list and we will be calling you soon. You are important to our organization!! If you know anyone who would be a great fit for our organization, please forward them our contact information. In addition, we continue to send invitation letters to non-partisan organizations and individuals encouraging them to join us in defending and strengthening democracy, definitely a task where we continue to need all hands on deck.

Unfortunately since the 60 day grace period ended after the new membership structure period of December 31, 2025 ended, we saw a drop in our membership! We are down to 159!! We are supporting our student members who are interested in renewing by paying ½ of their membership as scholarships. It is vital to our organization to keep our students engaged in democracy through our organization!

Welcome to our New members! Rebecca, Janice, Renee We are glad you have joined us and we look forward to working with you!

Thank you to our renewing members: We appreciate all you do! Let’s get busy!!

Legislative Action

Here is a link to the Election Committee site. This is how you can help:

Access this site weekly to determine progress
Watch for our Legislative Action Alerts
Sign up to be a testimonial writer
Sign up to be an observer
Sign up to be a member speaker
If interested in signing up, please contact me at President@lwvtsc.org
Watch or participate in committee meetings on www.kslegislature.org

League affiliate updates

The LWVK Council meeting will be held on April 25 from 10 am to 4 pm in Great Bend. All Kansas members are invited to attend. Registration fee is $15.00.

Tentative Agenda

10:00 am Check-in and Continental Breakfast

10:30 am Call to Order, Introductions, Organization of Council, and Report

11:45 am Keynote Speaker, Nicole Revenaugh, Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom (KWAFF)

12:45 pm Lunch and Breakout sessions

2:00 pm Business session

4:15 pm Action Resolutions, Directions to the Board, Announcements, Adjournment

Registration

Registration is required. The cost is $15 that will be collected on the day of the event by check or cash. The deadline to register is April 10th. (Note: Your registration fee does not cover the full event cost, and the league is making up the difference. Please be conscientious of our budget and only register if you are sure you can attend.)

Register Here.

Council Booklet

The council booklet is still being compiled and will be sent out at a later date.

The 2026 LWV National Convention will be held in Columbus, Ohio at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. It starts on Thursday, June 25, 2026 and ends Sunday June 28, 2026. Registration for the Convention is now open. Check the LWVUS website for details. The convention is open to all members. The LWVUS is also offering limited scholarships for convention attendance in person and virtually. See the attached link. https://events.lwv.org/event/Convention2026/scholarship

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!

NOW AVAILABLE: Civic Action Toolkit During ICE Activity and Related Blog With immigration enforcement activity increasing in our communities, it can create fear, confusion, and barriers to participation in civic life. Leagues can now review our civic action toolkit on the League Management Site to learn how to show up safely, lawfully, and in solidarity during ICE activity.

o LWVUS has a new blog post describing what’s happening with ICE and how to respond, including Know Your Rights information.

Voter Services

Unfortunately we have a vacancy for a voter services chair or co chair positions. This position is vitally important to our organization as it is our outreach component in ensuring we connect with our voter base. Through Voter Services, the League of Women Voters provides non-partisan information to our community on the structure and functions of government and the political parties and on voting procedures, election issues, and candidates. If you and a friend are interested, please let us know and we can provide details.

Let’s get to the POINT!

Feel free to continue to connect with our voter services team! Things are gearing up and this is a great time to get on board and express your interest in participating. Join them on the POINT application and get in on the experience! They are outreaching to the community providing education on registration and voting. Below is the link to volunteer for our events.

Volunteer

💜💜Your board members are always available to answer questions and help you move the League’s mission forward. Feel free to reach out!

Remember as we work to protect democracy, Teamwork makes the dream work!

Best regards,

Dr. Glenda Overstreet Vaughn, President

Community Connections

It is important for us to share and exchange events held by our collaborators. We also extend an invite for our members to participate as interested. See partner events below.

The Topeka ( KS) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated hosts its Third Annual Mother’s Day Brunch on Saturday, May 9, 2026 from 10:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. at the Townsite Tower Ballroom, 535 S. Kansas Avenue, Topeka,, KS, Tickets $75. Www.topekalinksinc.org or call 785-845-1099. Wear your Crown!! Save the Date.
Many thanks to our advocacy partners, Loud Light and ACLU for uniting in legislative testimony against the voter suppression bills. The LWVK and LWVTSC have been diligently submitting testimony as have other local leagues in actively advocating against election bills this session that propose to strip or reduce voting access and rights. Updates on how you can help are shared in Action Alerts.

Remember: If you have a community group interested in learning about the recent proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution, which eliminates the merit selection of Supreme Court Justices, please reach out to the League and we will connect you with a resource to come make presentations to your group(s).

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.

Posted March 16th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Observer Reports.

Check out our new look!

Each month, LWV volunteers attend city, council, and school board meetings. Their observer reports help keep us informed.

Thank you to observers Elvera Johnson, Paul Post, and Vicki Arnett for attending city and county meetings in the past month, and keeping us informed on the major items discussed. This month’s reports includes coverage of county solar regulation plans, election security, and the selection of the next City Council member representing District 8 after Spencer Duncan was elected to the office of Mayor. It was a big month in local government news!

The most recent report is available to open as a pdf.

League members sitting at table during monthly board meeting

Interested in joining the observer corps? Send us an email today.

Posted February 18th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Voter.

Stay up to date on LWV happenings in Topeka and Shawnee County!

Calendar of Events

Tuesday | March 3 at 12pm | Marvin 101BC at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Tuesday Topics Speaker: Carol Morgan with the Topeka Audubon Society. View more information.

Thursday | March 12 at 9am | 707 SE Quincy St.
Support Shawnee County Solar at the regular meeting of the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners

Friday | March 13 at 11am | Anton Room, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Book Club: Stolen Pride by Arlie Russell Hochschild. View more information.

For dates of upcoming Voter Education, Voter Registration, Board Meetings, and more, please view the events calendar on our website.

Presidents Perspective

Greetings and Merry March,

This month, I have extended my message to include critical updates on current legislation that would impact our local elections. Please take the time to review the list of bills, and contact your legislators.

I am also excited to share several trainings, events, and programs being offered by the LWV and other community partners right here in Topeka. Don’t miss information about the Topeka Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Chili and Cinnamon Roll Cook Off on February 28!

Read the full message here.

Local Observer Reports

Observer Reports have a new look! Check out this month’s report for a streamlined overview of eight city and county meetings. Topics covered include solar installations, election security, and the selection of a new City Council member to represent District 8. Big month for local government news!

LWV observers keep you informed about what is happening in local government. The Local Observer Corps volunteers attend city, county and school board meetings and take notes.

Observer Reports will be posted on our website to help get our members this useful and actionable information in a more timely manner.

Shawnee County Solar Update

We did it!!!

When league members show up our community wins. The Shawnee County Planning Commission approved a large-scale solar installation ordinance with increased acreage of 1000 acres. Battery storage included. This is not all we asked for but it is a major improvement over the original proposal.

But, we have to show up again to assure the ordinance is approved by the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners. The proposed date is Thurs. March 12, 2026, 9:00 a.m. at 707 SE Quincy St., Topeka, KS.

More information to come.

Thank you,
LWVTSC Climate Committee

Have you renewed your league membership for 2026?

Renewing has never been easier, just follow this link to the Join/Renew section of our website. Everything you need to know is there.

Become a Member Today | LWVTSC

If you’re not sure its time for you to renew, send me an email and I’ll check for you: allanpqz@gmail.com
-Allan Foster, Membership Chair

Tuesday Topics is March 3

Join us at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library for our monthly civic education presentation. For March, we will hear from Carol Morgan, President of the Topeka Audubon Society. The presentation is on Tuesday, March 3, from 12pm to 1pm. View all the event details, including how to join by Zoom, on the library’s website.

February Recap:

Former Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier gave a thorough review of the history of judicial selection in Kansas, and what the proposed constitutional amendment on our August ballot could mean for the future of the judiciary in Kansas. Her nonpartisan, educational presentation is part of our mission to provide opportunities for Topeka and Shawnee County voters to make informed decisions at the ballot box!

There were 59 people in attendance, including 45 members, 8 visitors, and 6 Zoom attendees.

Join the LWVTSC Book Club

The LWVTSC book club meets at 11 am on the second Friday of every month. We’re currently meeting in the Anton Room on the 2nd floor of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. Lunch in the Millennium Café following the discussion is optional. Anyone is welcome. Contact Carole Jordan for more information.

Upcoming titles:
March 13 – Stolen Pride, by Arlie Russell Hochschild
April 10 – Maus, by Art Spiegelman
May 8 – We the People, by Jill Lepore

Special note: The LWV book club has read some wonderful books, but the February selection, Poverty, By America, by Matthew Desmond was outstanding. We recommend it to all League members.

LWV Board Updates

The LWVTSC Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7, during the Tuesday Topics time slot at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.
The Climate Committee will award its first annual LWCTSC Climate Award this spring.
We have scholarships available for students interested in joining the LWV. Contact us for more information

Unite and Rise 8.5: A LWVUS Initiative to Defend Democracy

Unite & Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of this administration. Launching in May 2025 and running until the 2026 midterm elections, this initiative is part of our Women Defend Democracy campaign.

Unite and Rise 8.5 will fight for our democracy on multiple fronts, from the courts to the streets. More actions will be outlined in the future, but there are several actions along with more information at https://www.lwv.org/uniteandrise.

State League Action Alerts & Newsletter

Stay informed of State League of Women Voters activity.

Posted February 16th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Observer Reports.

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Each month, LWV volunteers attend city, council, and school board meetings. Their observer reports help keep us informed.

Thank you to observers Elvera Johnson, Paul Post, and Vicki Arnett for attending city and county meetings in the past month, and keeping us informed on the major items discussed. This month’s reports includes coverage of county solar regulation plans, election security, and the selection of the next City Council member representing District 8 after Spencer Duncan was elected to the office of Mayor. It was a big month in local government news!

The most recent report is available to open as a pdf.

Interested in joining the observer corps? Send us an email today.

Posted February 16th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under President's Perspective.

Greetings and Merry March,

These few months have been a full whirlwind trying to stay abreast of the large volume of legislative bills regarding elections (or more appropriately given the nature of the majority of bills introduced, non-election bills)! The legislature is trying to wrap up this session by the end of March so they can begin their election campaigning.

The quality of bills introduced appear to be generated by a strategic and myopic focus to impose restrictions on voting access, increase administrative burden, and disregard proven data that voter fraud in Kansas is significantly less than 1%.

To counteract the impact of the behavior, we must be alert on the actions of the legislature, educate each other on the ramifications, and speak truth to power.

Legislative focus

I am extending this month’s message to include Information on bills introduced and the position of the LWVTSC below:

HB 2437 – This bill proposes to expand the list of data sources that can be used to remove people from voter registration rolls. It would need careful monitoring to ensure people are not improperly removed and that electors data is not improperly shared with unauthorized or unknown users.

HB 2438 – This bill limits the ways people can register online to vote. This bill would target the dismantling of websites that have been vetted to seek registration of voters for years and have been more reliable than even the Secretary of State website, which has gone down and does not always provide effective data. Most importantly, this bill sets up a monopoly which forces the funneling of people interested in registering, and could promote a system shutdown, limiting the people’s access during critical election windows.