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

Posted January 26th, 2026 by Mary Galligan & filed under Climate Committee.

Who do you know who has stepped up to the challenges of our changing climate?

The League’s Climate Committee is seeking nominees for the first LWVTSC Climate Award

We are looking for nominees who use creative approaches to address climate and energy issues or policies and have had an impact on areas such as energy conservation, sustainable economic growth, health and social benefit, or who have influenced climate and energy policies in Shawnee County. Nominees should also exhibit leadership that motivates and engages others in the pursuit of sustainable energy goals and climate change-related harm mitigation. In keeping with the League’s nonpartisan stance, we are seeking nominees who are not currently serving in or campaigning for elective office.

Please submit your nominations on the nomination form.
The deadline is February 16.

The awardee will be announced at the LWVTSC Annual Meeting in April 2026, and the recipient will be asked to make a presentation to the membership at the meeting.

The LWVTSC Climate Committee will select two finalists from nominations made by League members. The LWVTSC Board will choose the awardee. In making its selections to present to the Board, the Committee will consider:
• The length of time the nominee has been involved in mitigating harm to the climate at the local level
• The nominee’s success achieving sustainability and climate change harm reduction goals
o By raising community awareness, including conducting community education
o By successfully influencing local policy

If you have questions, contact Vicki Arnett.

Posted January 21st, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Voter.

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

Calendar of Events

Thursday | January 29 | 9am | Kansas State Capitol
LWV Kansas League Day at the Capitol. Register Here. The deadline to register is January 22 TODAY, and the cost is $10 due at time of check-in at the event. Lunch included.

Tuesday | February 3 | Noon | Marvin 101BC at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Tuesday Topics Speaker: Justice Carol Beier (Retired) will educate about the processes of amending the Kansas Constitution and the selection of Supreme Court Judges. V iew more information.

Friday | February 13 | 11am | Anton Room, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Book: Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond

Tuesday | February 17 at 12pm | LWVTSC Climate Committee | Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
All members welcome to join, please contact Vicki Arnett.

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

Presidents Perspective

Greetings and Happy Valentine’s Month,

You each are loved for what you do to make our world a better place. Who would think that such efforts would become challenging but we continue to face negative energy every day. We must stay resilient in strengthening our democracy or it shall fade; we must stay purposeful in protecting and promoting voting rights or they will be diminished, and we must be mindful of educating those unaware of how important democracy is and why it is necessary or they will become forgotten forms of our imagination. Read More.

Local Observer Reports

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.

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

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

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 February 3

Join us at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library for our monthly civic education presentation. For February, we will hear from the Honorable Carol Beier, retired Kansas Supreme Court Justice, on our state’s judicial selection process. The presentation is on Tuesday, February 3, from 12pm to 1pm. View all the event details, including how to join by Zoom, on the library’s website.

January Recap:

On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, Detective Joe Kinnett of the Topeka Police Department Financial Crimes Unit spoke about avoiding consumer fraud and scams. A 23-year veteran of TPD, Detective Kinnett has spent the last 10 years in the Financial Crimes Unit. Kinnett holds multiple certifications, including Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Crypto Compliance Specialist and Advanced Crypto Investigator through TRM Labs. He also serves on the federal Cyber Fraud Task Force and is proud to be a part of Operation Shamrock, a group that is leading the charge to combat specific cyber-based scams.

WHO TO CONTACT FOR HELP FIRST
The type of account or issue someone experiences impacts who they contact for help first.

• Bank account/wire transfer – Your financial institution
• Credit card – Credit card company
• Deed – Register of Deeds
• Car Title – Kansas Department of Revenue (ksrevenue.gov)
• Identity theft – Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) or – IC3 (ic3.gov)
• Cryptocurrency – Cryptocurrency ATM or Exchange
Chainabuse (chainabuse.com); Operation Shamrock (operationshamrock.org)
• Securities – Securities and Exchange Commission (sec.gov)
• Consumer Protection – Kansas Attorney General’s Office (ag.ks.gov)

Additional resources that Detective Kinnett mentioned are available under the public library’s Legal Resources regarding Avoiding Scams and Fraud
https://tscpl.org/research-tools#legal-resources

Especially recommended for support after a scam or fraud incident, AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource for everyone of any age; you do not have to be an AARP member. Helpline: 877-908-3360 is available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Speak with trained specialists who can provide support and guidance on what to do next and how to avoid scams in the future.

As he began his talk, Detective Joe Kinnett of the Topeka Police Department Financial Crimes Unit joked with the audience that we would not be doing “trust falls” together but that the information he shared might give us “trust issues.” Throughout his talk, he shared examples of the ways that criminals victimize people by raising their emotional response and pushing them to act quickly.

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:
February 13 – Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
March 13 – Stolen Pride, by Arlie Russell Hochschild
April 10 – Maus, by Art Spiegelman

LWV Board Updates

The Youth Advocacy Academy will include a certification process.
Our League will not have a separate Day at the Capitol this year. Sign up for the LWVK Legislative Day on January 29th.
We have 119 new Facebook followers! Keep sharing our content.

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.

Posted January 19th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under President's Perspective.

Greetings and Happy Valentine’s Month,

You each are loved for what you do to make our world a better place. Who would think that such efforts would become challenging but we continue to face negative energy every day. We must stay resilient in strengthening our democracy or it shall fade; we must stay purposeful in protecting and promoting voting rights or they will be diminished, and we must be mindful of educating those unaware of how important democracy is and why it is necessary or they will become forgotten forms of our imagination.

Tuesday Topics

We brought in the new year with relevant information presented on how to avoid scams by Detective Joe Kinnett from the Financial Crimes Unit of the Topeka Police Department. He shared some realistic tips and scenarios to keep us safe against or at least mindful of unsavory acts of online scams. Many thanks to Detective Kinnett!

In February, we will host Carol A. Beier, a former Kansas Supreme Court justice. Before Justice Beier’s time on the bench, she practiced at Foulston & Siefkin in Wichita and Arent Fox in Washington, D.C., and worked as a Georgetown Law fellow at the National Women’s Law Center and as a law clerk for Judge James K. Logan of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. She will be sharing information on the proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution, which seeks to eliminate the merit selection of Supreme Court Justices.

We are 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 renewal campaign is actively underway! If you haven’t renewed yet, please consider doing so. 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.

Legislative Action!!

The legislative session began on January 12 and it is certainly time for us to put our boots and heels on the ground, in the committee meetings and the chambers. Strengthening democracy is our mission and we illustrate it through improving voting rights and increasing voting access. You would think these would be fairly easy tasks to accomplish and maintain. Yet, with each legislative session, it becomes a tug of war. It is a struggle with those who want to impose restrictions on our rights and access.

Below are bills recently introduced in the House Election Committee where we need your voice, action, and commitment.

HB 2438 – seeks to impose restrictions on websites that can be used for registering voters (but exempts government entities ending with .gov). Such restrictions set up a monopoly and cannot be guaranteed full system security or secured data. Other websites such as KsVotes.org has been vetted as reliable and safe.

HB 2437– This bill seeks to address Voter Roll Management by using various resources (governmental and non-governmental entities) to cross verify citizenship. This is concerning because the person has no knowledge of the shared information, it also increases opportunities to accidentally remove individuals. There is no estimation as to how much level of effort will be put into this process or if such effort is even required.

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

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.

Please plan to join us at the Capitol on January 29 for LWVK Legislative Day at the Capitol. Check in begins at 8:30am with the program starting at 9am. League members from across the state will be engaging with our legislators.

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!

Our recent membership is at 224 and growing! It is all because of you. You are our lifeblood. Thank you and for all you do!!

Welcome to our New members! 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!!

Let’s get to the POINT!

Feel free to continue to connect with our voter services team! Although many of the events are wrapping up for the year, our planning never ends. 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.

💜💜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

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 January 19th, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Observer Reports.

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, Vicki Arnett, and for attending the December and January meetings and keeping us informed on the major items discussed. This month’s reports include City Council, County Commission, and the Topeka Sustainability Advisory Board.

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 January 3rd, 2026 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Action Alert, Climate Committee.

The LWV-TSC Climate Committee urges you to support solar energy in Shawnee County! Take Action NOW!

MARCH UPDATE: On Feb 9, the Planning Commission recommended solar regulations to the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The regulations are MUCH IMPROVED since January. The County Commission will consider those regulations at a Special Meeting, 9:00 AM meeting on April 13 in the Commission chambers at 707 SE Quincy Street, Topeka. See an announcement at the top of the Planninng Commission webpage. Please attend the County Commission meeting wearing gold (the color in the graphic below) to tell the Commissioners you support the solar regulations and solar development in the county, and/or write to the commissioners and tell them you support the regulations. Here are some talking points.

Solar could be a lifeline for Shawnee County’s economy and grid.

Solar projects mean new jobs and economic vitality for our communities.
Solar would strengthen our power grid and lower our bills with homegrown, affordable clean energy.

Solar would support farmers in Shawnee County.

Our local farmers deserve solar regulations that maintain their private property rights and avoid government overreach.
More solar in our county would help ensure the economic survival of family farms.

Solar is a safe and sustainable neighbor.

Solar is water-smart and coexists with nature.
Solar is safe, healthy, and highly regulated.

FEBRUARY UPDATE: Thanks to a large showing by solar advocates, the Planning Commission delayed their vote and will discuss this again during their next meeting on Monday, February 9. We still need you to contact members of the commission (email planning@snco.us) and show up to support solar! The meeting will be at 6:00 pm at 1515 NW Saline St, Topeka. Wear gold or the t-shirts that were provided at January’s meeting!

Original post continued below.

On January 12 at 6:00 pm, the Shawnee County Planning Commission will meet to vote on proposed solar installation regulations. You can view information about the meeting here.

Bonus: League members are invited to a pre-meeting-meeting at 4pm on January 12 to prepare for the commission meeting. Meet us at the Coffee Bar (1635 SW Washburn Ave) at 4:00 pm. Free t-shirts provided while supplies last. RSVP here.

Our Position: The Climate Committee believes that the proposed regulations are too small in acreage, contain prohibitive and unnecessary setbacks, and exclude battery storage. As a result, the regulations may effectively ban solar installation.

What You Can Do: Send a message to the Planning commission by January 12 to support effective solar installations! It’s as simple as sending an email to planning@snco.us. Below are some quick talking points, and you can reference this document from Greenlight to learn more and help write your message.

Solar could be a lifeline for Shawnee County’s economy and grid.

Solar projects mean new jobs and economic vitality for our communities.
Solar would strengthen our power grid and lower our bills with homegrown, affordable clean energy.

Solar would support farmers in Shawnee County.

Our local farmers deserve solar regulations that maintain their private property rights and avoid government overreach.
More solar in our county would help ensure the economic survival of family farms.

Solar is a safe and sustainable neighbor.

Solar is water-smart and coexists with nature.
Solar is safe, healthy, and highly regulated.

Learn more here.

Posted December 18th, 2025 by Kristin Hammer & filed under Voter.

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