HomeMaking Democracy Work Award

Making Democracy Work Award

The Johnson County League of Women Voters Making Democracy Work Award is given to an outstanding community member. The League created the award in 2008 as a way to recognize and celebrate citizens who demonstrate committed, visionary leadership that strengthens our democracy. With this award, we honor an individual or group who has taken action to “Make Democracy Work” to benefit residents in Johnson and/or Wyandotte counties.

December 2019: Lindsay Begham honored with Making Democracy Work Award for her leadership in the Voter to Voter project. Voter to Voter is a peer relationship effort that increased voter turnout. Check votertovoter.org to learn how you can encourage voters in 2020!

Award Criteria

An honoree's work or action must:

Clearly demonstrate democracy at work.
Be innovative and unique.
Encourage active, informed citizenship within the community.
Be nonpartisan.
Be able to be replicated.

Recipients of the Making Democracy Work award:

2008: Carol Sader, former Kansas State Representative
2009: Ruth Hopkins, Prairie Village city council member
2010: Congressman Dennis Moore, Kansas 3rd District
2011: Annabeth Surbaugh, former chair Board of County Commissioners
2012: Dolores Furtado, Ph.D., former Kansas State Representative
2013: John Vratil, retired member of the Kansas Senate
2014: Brian Newby, Johnson County Election Commissioner
2015: Ed Peterson, former Johnson County Commissioner
2016: Dave Helling, Kansas City Star columnist and editorial writer
2017: Tracy Fuller Forbush, Citizen Program Manager at Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
2019: Mike Kelly, Roeland Park Mayor and Lindsey Constance, Shawnee City Council Member
2019: Rosehill School Third-Grade teachers Meghan Spalding. Lauren Langhofer and Rachel Serna
2019: Lindsay Behgam for Voter to Voter

May 2019: Lindsey Constance and Mike Kelly honored for their leadership in creating the Metro KC Climate Change Coalition.

May 2019: Rachel Serna and Lauren Langhofer accept the 2019 Making Democracy Work Award for creating curriculum for their third-grade students to foster civic engagement. Their students interacted with departments in Lenexa city government.

See previous award recipients.