Greetings,

It is difficult to believe that we are already heading toward the 4th quarter of the year.  Although, for many, we are looking forward to the relief from the past blazing sunny days. 

Our October presence kicks off with participation at the Naturalization service held at the Brown vs Board building on October 1 at 10:00 a.m.

Next, we are on to the Gage Park Founders Fest on October 3 from 10-2 pm.  If you are unable to volunteer,  we hope you will plan to come out and join us at the Gage Park festivities.  The donation is a non-perishable food item.

Marisa O’Gara joined us as our September Tuesday Topics presenter and provided  insight on the constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot of the General election in November.  Many thanks to her for the comprehensive presentation and for sharing the proposed rationale behind the language provided within the amendment.

A continued shout out to all our members who plan to engage their civic duty by working the polls on November 3.   We appreciate you and all that you do. 

Palm cards will be available soon for distribution to support the league’s position of voting NO on the constitutional amendment.  Please see a board member for cards.

Remember… you are needed!  Below are areas we can use your support. Please consider your time and let us know if you can help us help make this organization grow.  All persons considered must be members of the league.

Young Adults Advocacy Initiative, now known as our Civic Engagement Academy

The committee for the Academy has begun meeting and has started its planning process for selecting students.  Classes are set and scheduled to begin in November with on site visits taking place at the state capitol in January.

Financial Mentee

A Financial mentee position is available for someone interested in shadowing the treasurer and learning about managing, overseeing and safeguarding the  organization’s financial operations as part of a succession planning strategy. 

Voter Services Team co- chairs

This is an awesome opportunity for you and a friend to work together to get the community engaged in voter experiences.  We already have established members that work with naturalization services, school networking, and we need more connections with community tabling events and coordination with our volunteer system, POINT.  New members:  This is a great opportunity to get involved in community fun while helping to inform voters.  It’s a win-win!!

High School Presentations

Many thanks to the team of presenters and to Gretchen Gleue, Coordinator, as they work together on the scheduling and presentations to high school students across the city on voting.

Our lifeblood – you!

Our calls continue to reach out to you – our members.   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.

We are up to 175 in our membership ! We are continuing to support 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 member: Martha!  Thank you for joining our team!!

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

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!

Greetings,

Our commitment to educate and advocate  across the state on voting no to the constitutional amendment vote in August was successful!   Many thanks to our informed voters for their diligence in lifting their voices for the benefit of our state.

And as if the voting process on the constitutional amendment in August wasn’t enough, we are now facing another constitutional amendment vote for the general election in November to vote on the Kansas Citizenship Voting Requirement. The LWVK board has adopted the position of voting no and the LWVTSC has adopted the position of voting no, offering further clarification for members.

Handouts will be provided as well as an opportunity to hear more on the constitutional amendment from guest speakers.

Speaking of speakers, our September Tuesday Topics speaker will be Marisa O’Gara.  She will present on the upcoming Constitutional amendment.  You will want to be in attendance for this session so that you have the information needed to make an informed decision.  We look forward to seeing you.

Sarah Tucker provided us with a whirlwind of historical information on Kansas women in politics. We could have certainly had an extended session on this topic. Thank you Sarah for sharing such interesting information with our members. 

A shout out to all our members who engaged in their civic duty by working the polls on August 4. We appreciate you and all that you do.  Thank you!!

Get ready for our next Candidate Meet and Greet forum.  It will be held on September 16, 2026…. The day after the National Voter Registration Day.  Mark your calendars and plan to join us. 

Reminder: New bills passed during the 2026 legislative session became effective on July 1, 2026.  Here is a link provided by KSNT on the bills passed: 

https://www.ksnt.com/capitol-bureau/what-new-laws-take-effect-in-kansas-on-july-1-2026/amp/

Day of Civic Action

We had a successful day of action with two different events on August 1, 2026.  We partnered with Berryton United Methodist Church during their community day and league members canvassed the RockFire neighborhood talking with and dropping off voting guide literature to 106 residents.  Many thanks to our members who played a role in supporting the Day of Action.

Remember… you are needed!  Below are areas we can use your support.  Please consider your time and let us know if you can help us help make this organization grow.  All persons considered must be members of the league.

Young Adults Advocacy Initiative, now known as our Civic Engagement Academy

We were successful in receiving a $3,000 grant from the LWVK to help with the start up of this Academy. 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. We will start recruiting efforts in September.

Financial Mentee

A Financial mentee position is available for someone interested in shadowing the treasurer and learning about managing, overseeing and safeguarding the  organization’s financial operations as part of a succession planning strategy. 

Voter Services Team co- chairs

This is an awesome opportunity for you and a friend to work together to get the community engaged in voter experiences.  We already have established members that work with naturalization services, school networking, and we need more connections with community tabling events and coordination with our volunteer system, POINT.  New members:  This is a great opportunity to get involved in community fun while helping to inform voters.  It’s a win-win!!

Our lifeblood – you!

Our calls continue to reach out to you – our members.   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.

We are up to 174 in our membership ! We are continuing to support 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!  Brooke, Charlotte, Kathy, Patricia, and Vivianne  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 kslegislature.org

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!

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.

💜💜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

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.

The month of July was extremely active for the league.  We attended a “field trip” to Constitution Hall, which recently opened.  While there, we learned about the history and significance of the history in relation to Bleeding Kansas and the role that Topekans played in authoring the Topeka Constitution.  The hall offered tours and opportunities for you to engage our community or corporate business in hosting  your seminars and training.

Our August Tuesday Topics event will be back at the Library.  We will host Sara Tucker of Washburn University who will present on Kansas Women in Politics. The session promises to be quite exciting and educational.

The LWVTSC members and partners hosted a Candidate Meet and Greet forum on July 13.  Over 100 were in attendance.  We thank the candidates and our partners for their efforts and attendance.

New bills passed during the 2026 legislative session became effective on July 1, 2026.  Here is a link provided by KSNT on the bills passed: 

https://www.ksnt.com/capitol-bureau/what-new-laws-take-effect-in-kansas-on-july-1-2026/amp/

We continue to educate across the state on the constitutional amendment vote in August on whether the merit system for the Supreme Court should be changed.   Palm cards  are now  available educating the public on this issue.  We have  posted our position statement on the constitutional amendment on our website so that the public knows our stance. 

We stand united with the Kansas and other local leagues in posting our league position of voting NO on the constitutional amendment to change the judicial selection from a merit based process to an elected process during the primary election in August.  Don’t forget to remind your family, friends, and community to vote on August 4.  Advance voting is underway by going to the Election office.

Also, please note there is a proposed constitutional amendment for the general election in November to vote on the Kansas Citizenship Voting Requirement. The board will be taking up a position on this amendment soon and will share with the membership.

Day of Civic Action

On August 8, 2026, the National League and our partners will host a nationwide day of civic action in honor of the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. To coincide with our August 4 voting day, the LWK and local chapters received permission to host our Day of civic action on August 1.  Look for our community event on our website at LWVTSC.org

National Convention Updates 2026

Many thanks to our members who were able to  attend our National convention.  There were two consensus positions adopted by the national convention:  

The Rights of Immigrants

 The League of Women Voters believes that all residents of the United States, regardless of immigration status or citizenship, should be treated with dignity and respect.  This means that all residents, regardless of immigration status or citizenship, should have access to essential federal, state, and local funded services, have the opportunity to avail themselves of legal representation in court and immigration proceedings, and have the opportunity to live and work in safety.  The League encourages all elected officials and government leaders in the United States to take action to ensure these fundamental rights.  It also means that political leaders have an obligation to condemn xenophobia, discrimination, and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Religious Freedom

The League of Women Voters stands for the separation of church and state and religious freedom founded upon individual conscience, free of social or political influence by any state or religious body; these fundamental civil rights are threatened by religious nationalism.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution reads;  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.

Remember… you are needed!  Below are areas we can use your support.  Please consider your time and let us know if you can help us help make this organization grow.  All persons considered must be members of the league.

Young Adults Advocacy Initiative, now known as our Civic Engagement Academy

 We were successful in receiving a $3,000 grant from the LWVK to help with the start up of this Academy. 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.

Financial Mentee

A Financial mentee position is available for someone interested in shadowing the treasurer and learning about managing, overseeing and safeguarding the  organization’s financial operations as part of a succession planning strategy. 

Voter Services Team co- chairs

This is an awesome opportunity for you and a friend to work together to get the community engaged in voter experiences.  We already have established members that work with naturalization services, school networking, and we need more connections with community tabling events and coordination with our volunteer system, POINT.  New members:  This is a great opportunity to get involved in community fun while helping to inform voters.  It’s a win-win!!

Our lifeblood – you!

Our calls continue to reach out to you – our members.   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.

We are up to 174 in our membership ! We are continuing to support 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!  Brooke, Charlotte, Kathy, Patricia, and Vivianne  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 kslegislature.org

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!

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.

💜💜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

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.