Stay up-to-date on LWV happenings in Topeka and Shawnee County!
Calendar of Events
Monday | Sept 29 | 5:30-7:30 pm | Marvin 101 at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Local Topeka Election Candidate Meet and Greet – Chat with candidates on your ballot! Meet the candidates for Topeka Mayor and City Council districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Volunteers will be available to help find your district and answer questions about the Nov 4 general election. View Facebook Event to RSVP and Share.
Tuesday | Oct 7 | Noon | Marvin 101BC at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Tuesday Topics Speaker: Nadia Arbelo, Executive Director of the Central Topeka Grocery Oasis (CTGO), shares information and updates.
Friday | Oct 10 | 11am | Anton Room 202, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
LWVTSC Book Club: The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Tuesday | Oct 21 | 11:30 am – 1 pm | Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Climate Committee Meeting – 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.
Election Resources
You know that 2025 is a local election year, but do you know how to make your voting plan and be an informed voter? Here are some free tools to help!
- Vote 411 is a national, free, nonpartisan tool developed by the League of Women Voters Education Fund. You can look up the races on your ballot, and even view surveys submitted directly from candidates who choose to participate. Our board of directors worked directly with Vote 411 to make sure that all of our local races are included, and reached out to candidates to invite them to participate by filling out the survey.
- Topeka Mayor and City Council candidates in contested races took part in live-streamed candidate forums, hosted by WIBW and the Greater Topeka Chamber earlier this month. All of those videos are available for you to view and share with others.
- The Shawnee County Election Office has all the information you need to make a plan for your method of voting. You can request a mail ballot, check the in person early voting schedule, and confirm your polling place for election day.
- Don’t live in Topeka? You still have an election this year! All Shawnee County School Boards have races, and there are several special districts and city council races in surrounding communities. Here is a full list of Shawnee County races and candidates.
Take the TopCity25 Challenge!
The Topeka Voter Collaborative (TVC) is challenging the Topeka community to show up for this fall’s General Election in a big way!
It’s 2025. Can Topeka voters top 25 percent voter turnout in the mayoral and city council elections? This would be a 5 percent increase from the last mayoral election, representing about 4,000 additional voters.
Can we meet the challenge? The Topeka Voter Collaborative believes we can. Spread the word and make your plan to vote early or on election day!
RSVP “going” to this Facebook event, and share the challenge with others using TVC’s toolkit: bit.ly/topcity25.
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.
Thank you to observers Elvera Johnson, Paul Post and Vicki Arnett for attending 5 meetings since August! Topics covered include affordable housing developments, city sustainability efforts, and a public hearing on mill levies after the state passed a law regarding revenue neutral property tax rates.
New! Observer Reports will be posted on our website to help get our members this useful and actionable information in a more timely manner.
President’s Perspective
Greetings! What a great Tuesday Topics session held in September featuring Bob Beatty, Political Analyst and Professor at Washburn. He presented facts of our Kansas political landscape and shared highlights of candidates’ campaign kickoffs. Click below to read more about recent League happenings, upcoming events, and some new initiatives you might want to be involved in.
Read the most recent President’s Message
Notice: Membership Renewal Process
Beginning in February 2025, joining and renewing membership with the League became a standardized nationwide process regardless of which local or state League a member is part of. Linked below is information about the renewal period, how to join/renew through the LWV Member Portal, and how to join/renew offline.
Voter Services Update
Schools are back in session and that means Voter Services School Teams hit the ground as well. Washburn had three great events that provided us opportunities to interact with young voters. We even made it to WIBW news on National Voter Registration Day (read the news story) when we worked with Loud Light and the Shawnee County Election Office to check voter registration and offer registration to others.
High school presentations also commenced in September for Topeka High, Topeka West and Highland Park. Soon to follow in October we’ll see students at Washburn Rural, Silver Lake, Seaman and Shawnee Heights. It takes a team to make these presentations possible. Thanks to Gretchen Gleue, Connie Jacobson, Mark Galbraith, Jeanne Vawter and Robin Sweeney. We are looking for a volunteer or two to help Jeanne on either October 9 or 13th. She especially needs a person to assist with running the slide show while she presents. If this sounds like something you could do, let me know (email) and I’ll get more details for you.
Can you help?
Whether you’re a seasoned Voter Services volunteer, or looking to get more involved in the League of Women Voters, we could use you! Volunteer to work at a Voter Services event, now! The League uses Point, an app that lets members select when and where they will work at Voter Services events.
Thank you, Vicki Buening and everyone supporting Voter Services!
Tuesday Topics: Highlights from September Presentation by Dr. Bob Beatty, Chair, Washburn University Department of Political Science
75 members and visitors attended the September 2 Tuesday Topics to hear Washburn University Professor Bob Beatty speak about the current political climate in Kansas. He used current and historical data, analysis and video advertising to help us learn and understand the upcoming 2026 races, get to know primary candidates from their announcement videos, and put the candidates, messages, and possible races in context with previous Kansas elections. His website archives over a thousand Kansas political ads!
Join the LWVTSC Book Club
The LWVTSC book club meets at 11 am on the second Friday of every month. We’re currently 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:
October 10 – The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Dare
November 14 – James, Percival Everett
December 12 – Talk about books for 2026 and in general
LWV Board Updates
- The LWVTSC will host the statewide LWV Kansas conference in the spring of 2027.
- We recently reviewed and reaffirmed our DEI policy. We are also reviewing other policies as they align with our state and national entities.
- The Board posted a press release with this statement on Mail In Ballots and Voting Machines.
State League Action Alerts & Newsletter
Stay informed of State League of Women Voters activity.
