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Schools, Election, LWVK Office Administrator Needed!
We've made it through another primary election season and find ourselves enduring those last dog days of summer. School's starting up again soon which means more opportunities for the League to be in the schools, educating Kansas's young adults on the importance of being civically engaged and voting. Believe it or not, the general election is really just around the corner. The League encourages all our members who are able to consider serving as poll workers in their various communities.
We continue to search for an Office Administrator to work in our Topeka LWVK office. The position offers a fluctuating schedule of 10 - 15 hours a week and the job description can be found here. Please help us to find the right person to fill this important role. Also, just so you're in the know, LWVK is looking to relocate our office from the YWCA in Topeka to the old Stout Elementary School in Topeka. We're anticipating making that move at the end of September but will confirm details once more are finalized.
Please keep our LWVK Advocacy Chair, Cille King, in your thoughts. She's experienced some health setbacks recently and could use all the positive vibes and encouragement we can send her way.
Thank you for your continued support of the League of Women Voters and all Kansans!
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Election Deadlines!
Oct. 17 - Last Day to Register to Vote
Oct. 18 - Advance Voting Begins
Oct. 31 - Deadline to Request Advance Ballot
Nov. 6 - Advance Voting Ends
Nov. 7 - GENERAL ELECTION | Articles about our lawsuit -
Sunflower State Journal - July 2023:
Sunflower State Journal - August 2023:
Legal bills surpass $1 million in defense of voting laws
| Local League Highlights
By Cathy Hedge, LWVK Communications Team, LWV of Manhattan-Riley Co
It’s hot. Truly hot! But so is the activity of our Leagues as we prepare for fall primaries, gather information from our candidates for Vote 411, and plan our candidate forums. May your outreach and programs proceed well…and may you find shade in the meantime.
LWV Emporia is one of four communities targeted for help in voter engagement from Kansas Inter-Faith Action. With KIFA’s help, they plan work with specific groups such as Hispanics of Today and Tomorrow (HOTT) and the Ministerial Alliance. LWV Emporia will again have a booth at the annual Block Party welcoming students back to ESU and Flint Hills Tech to check registrations and register students to vote.
LWV Manhattan-Riley County celebrates their former City Commissioner and Mayor, Usha Reddi. She is their region’s state senator, replacing Senator Tom Hawk who retired. Senator Reddi was featured in the League of Kansas Municipalities as a Local Trailblazer in celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (Link to the article). Their league also reports interest in Vote 411. Their candidates for USD 383 School Board and City Commission races seem eager to meet the community and thanked the League for the opportunity.
LWV Topeka-Shawnee County featured a talk at Tuesday Topics on Aug. 1 on the Kansas Oral History Project - a rich collection of interviews with diverse voices and former governors. Recordings of past Tuesday Topics held in conjunction with the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library are here.
If you have local news to share, please let us know. We are also eager to hear from our At-large members. Now, go inside and cool off if you can! | Local Meet & Greets, Wheel of Knowledge, Voter Engagement
By Susan Quinn, LWVK Voter Services Chair
LWV Johnson County has held three separate meet and greet for candidates: one in Central Johnson County, another in Olathe, and one in Wyandotte County. In lieu of a candidate forum, Meet & Greet has been a success. They are set up like a fair, where voters can walk up to the table of the specific candidate and ask questions. LWV Jo Co has short recordings from these Meet & Greets that they will be able to use on the VOTE411.org site!
LWV Great Bend teamed up with Women 4 Kansas to co-host an Alternative Voting Methods Education event that Richard Pund presented. Richard is an LWV Jo Co member and chair of the LWVK Election Methods and Election Administration study. If your local league would like to have a similar presentation, contact Richard Pund, Susan Quinn, or Janice Walker. We will likely be voting on this updated position next spring at the LWVK convention.
LWV Lawrence Douglas County has been very busy with voter engagement opportunities. They've held candidate forums along with the AACP, had member picnics, and are studying renewable energy. Their league can be found at the Downtown Farmer's Market spreading the good news about voting.
LWV Topeka Shawnee County enjoyed July's annual Fiesta Mexicana by employing Janice Walker's idea of the Wheel of Knowledge. It is a child magnet, and with every child comes an adult voter - It is magical! The evening they used it, they saw a five-fold increase in the number of people visiting their table. It made the time fly and people really enjoyed learning a little bit about Kansas civics. This year the Topeka league will include a mock registration and a mock election as part of their high school voter education presentations. Research shows that if you practice, you feel more confident and follow through with voting when given the opportunity.
| Rumor vs. Reality with Pre-Election Issues
First in a series of three articles
By Janice Walker, Intra-League Co-Coordinator
Since the 2020 presidential election, there has been a stream of misinformation about a stolen election and extreme behavior culminating in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. These disinformation narratives can have significant consequences for people’s ability to vote and trust in our elections. To counteract this danger to democracy, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) developed an online information site on election security efforts. This is an official website of the U.S. government and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: www.cisa.gov/rumor-vs-reality. Click here to read Janice's complete article about a few common rumors and corresponding reality checks focusing on voter rolls, mail-in voting, and the use of drop boxes. | |
In Kansas School Board Elections, DEI is Under Fire
By Marlene Merrill, LWVK Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Co-Chair
DEI is under fire. After reading a newspaper article about one school district in our state and the upcoming school board elections, I decided to comment.
One school district in Kansas (not named but typical policy to most school districts) states its goal is to make all students feel included. Diversity learning is meant to acknowledge differences, such as race, gender, sexual identity, and culture. Equity is about correcting systemic imbalance. DEI is not a curriculum.
In the upcoming elections, there are some groups supporting candidates who believe and claim that DEI is "indoctrination." Some people stated in this news article that a DEI policy in a school district leads to an environment in which white teachers and students were shamed for their skin color.
So, as you read statements from school board candidates who say we should stop wasting money on programs that do not benefits students or academic performance, or say they want a conservative voice on the board to return district focus upon the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, take the time to investigate deeper into who is funding the candidate, what background does the candidate have, and what beliefs does this person have about education.
We value our schools, so we need to elect school board candidates who support educational basics as well as value diversity.
| LWVK Board Briefs
July 8, 2023
By Lana Balka, LWVK Secretary
*Will give the YWCA the 60-day required notice to vacate the LWVK’s office space. Working on lease agreement with Community Resources Council for space at Stout Elementary in Topeka.
*Need applicants for LWVK Office Administrator - 10-15 hours per week.
*Will allocate $3,600 of the $5,000 Making Democracy Work grant from LWVUS to pay for VOTE411.org.
*LWVUS Council “Moonshot Goal” is to abolish the Electoral College.
*Will retain the two Facebook pages located in SE and SW Kansas with Cille King monitoring the pages.
*LWVK membership dropped by 37. Need ways for at-large members to connect with LWV activities.
*LWV Observers will focus on Elections and Energy and Utilities. Topics of July 7 Joint Legislative Committee on Post Audit: Training of election workers, security, voter safety, and disinformation. Kansas is one of eight states without an energy plan.
*Possible future press releases: New LWVK officers/board, encouraging voter registration and voting, safety of elections, National Popular Vote Compact (https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/).
*Suffragist Memorial Committee has received the five submissions for proposed art. Committee will consider possible candidates to judge the proposals.
*Glenda Washington, Topeka, has been appointed to a one-year term as LWVK Board DEI Co-Chair.
*Discussed the LWVK Strategic Plan for 2019-2023.
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The League of Women Voters of Kansas is a grassroots, volunteer, political organization with members at large and nine local Leagues across the state. For nearly 100 years, LWVK has encouraged the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influenced public policy through education and advocacy. The League does not endorse candidates or political parties.
Support our ongoing work. Donate to LWVK today.
LWVK information is available on our website. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Making Democracy Work®
League of Women Voters of Kansas President
Martha Pint
president@lwvk.org
“VOTER Notes” Editor
gracewilsoneditor@gmail.com
LWVK Office Administrator
office@lwvk.org
About the Newsletter
Does your League have a success story, innovative program, or commendable action you want to share with your sister Leagues across the state? Send it to the VOTER Notes so we can feature a League each month! Share your stories; they encourage other Leagues and help everyone know that we are all in this work together.
- LWVK sends the VOTER Notes monthly newsletter to local board presidents and communications teams to distribute to their local League members, generally the first week of every month. If you are finding it online and not in your inbox, please tell us. At-Large Members receive the newsletter directly via email. Newsletters are also posted for public viewing on lwvk.org.
- During the legislative session, LWVK sends a weekly email containing Paul Johnson’s “Policy Watch.
- Submit photos or stories of your LWV activities. Deadline for the July 2023 VOTER Notes is Tuesday, July 25.
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