Volume 77, Number 6 | September 2025 | NEXT MEETING: October 4th!
Join us for our October program, FUTURE IN PROGRESS - How to activate youth involvement in our democracy. We know that getting young people to vote is crucial for the future of our communities. Members of our partner organization Loud Light will be joining us to talk about the work they are doing to impact Gen Z voters and how you can work to get more voters involved in your area.
Saturday, October 4th from 9:30am-11am (Doors open at 9am)
Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church
9400 Pflumm Road
Lenexa, KS 66215
We'd love for you to share the League information with a friend! Share this email, our social media posts, or invite them to join you at an upcoming event. We can't wait to see all your faces at our first meeting of the fall.
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| | League Members Meet LWV President Dianna Wynn
As part of Women's Equality week, the Women's Equality Network hosted a presentation with LWV President Dianna Wynn titled "Women at the Forefront of Advancing Equality and Democracy". It was a great night of information and an opportunity for leagues around the area to collaborate and share ideas.
LWVJoCo President, Harry Bognich, had the privilege of presenting Dianna with a formal proclamation from the Johnson County Commissioners recognizing Women's Equality Week and celebrating the 19th Amendment. The fourth week in August is now Women's Equality Week in Johnson County Kansas!
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| YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE
SEPTEMBER 6TH PROGRAM: Thank you to everyone who made our Sept 6th program a success. Voter Registration helped produce some graphics and information that is being used at all Voter Registration events between now and October 14th. If you missed out on the program or the calls to action, you can view the materials handed out below.
|  | Vote411
Get vote ready with Vote411, a nationwide resource on candidates in local, state, and federal elections. The League of Women Voters Education Fund launched this "one-stop-shop" site in 2006, and it is an essential tool as you prepare to cast your ballot. Our Voter Information team and a group of volunteers have been working with local candidates, distributing a candidate survey, to help build up the database.
Just visit Vote411.org and search for your address: https://www.vote411.org/ballot. You'll find the races coming up in your area and you can review your candidates' positions on issues important to you. If your candidate's information is missing please contact your candidate and ask them to complete the survey so they can inform their constituents.
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| Postcard Party with Voter Information
Join Voter Information and bring your creative skills for our final postcard party of the year! We will work together to make inspiring postcards for people who don't vote regularly encouraging them to get out and vote this fall. Please be sure to register so the Voter Information team knows how many people to expect!
- September 27th from 9:30 to 11:30AM, Monticello Library - Register Here
Candidate Meet & Greets
Interested in learning more about the candidates on your ballot? Join us for a meet and greet with the candidates. You'll have the opportunity to introduce yourself, ask questions, and learn more about their stances on the issues that are important to you. Families are encouraged to come for a cookie and interact with candidates. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Upsilon Rho Omega Chapter, and Mainstream Civic Engagement. All candidates were invited.
- Monticello: September 27th from 3-4PM at the Monticello Library - Register Here
- Olathe: October 8th from 5:30-6:30PM at the Olathe Indian Creek Library - Register Here
- Wyandotte County: October 15th from 7-8PM at the KCK South Library - Register Here
Check the Events Calendar to see or register for all upcoming events!
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The Observer Corps has open spots for the Board of County Commissioners, JCCC Board of Trustees, Olathe School Board, JOCO Parks & Rec Board, Olathe City Council, and Lenexa City Council. Email observercorps@lwvjoco.org if you can help!
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| As was announced in last month’s THE VOTER, Dianna Wynn, the President of the League of Women Voters of the United States, came to Kansas City and gave a talk “Women at the Forefront of Advancing Equality and Democracy” on the evening of August 28 at the Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS, with which LWVJoCo helped out. There were many people who assisted, but I want to specially recognize Leslie Sullivan, Colette Panchot, Lynn Hardy, Ellen Porter, and Debbie Kitchin for helping LWVJoCo make this such a successful event.
I encourage each of you to stay active and informed. Check our league website “EVENTS” Calendar. There are two Candidate Meet and Greets in October. It’s important that you hear what the candidates say, but more so that the candidates hear and listen to what you respectfully say and learn where you stand on things.
Click on the “GET INVOLVED” button on our website and then click on “Volunteer Signup” which will show you lots of opportunities for you to help. Communications and also Technology have immediate needs for assistance. Contact Committee Chairs at “Contact Us” to ask them what you might be able to help with and/or to let them know your interests/skills.
On September 12, each LWVJoCo member should have received an eBlast email sent from LWV of Johnson County titled “We need your Input and Advice!” Please provide your answers either online or via postal mail. It would be wonderful if we hear back from each and every member. I thank the many members who have already responded.
The November 4 Election is rapidly approaching. As we learned in September’s program meeting on Local Elections, there are many ways to encourage voters to vote and provide them with worthwhile information: participating in Voter-to-Voter (contact voterinformation@lwvjoco.org if you wish to join the LWVJoCo group doing this), participating in Text or Phone Banking (contact voterinformation@lwvjoco.org for this), referring friends and family and people we meet to VOTE411.ORG, reaching out to college students and directing them to KSVOTES.ORG, and the list goes on, so do what you can.
During our March 2025 Annual Meeting, our members broke into small groups to review and discuss our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. Feedback from each small group was received for the Board’s use and resulted in a list of five things considered to be a significant issue or goal. During the May Board Meeting, the Board held a lengthy discussion and then agreed to numbering the five in order from one (most important) to five (least important): (1) Expand Outreach to Young Voters; (2) Expand Media Presence; (3) Leadership Succession; (4) Technology Plans/Funding; (5) Member Recognition. Our committee teams have been working on these. In addition, the topic of our October 4 member meeting is “Reaching Youth”, so I strongly encourage all our members to attend this meeting or else watch the video recording of it on YouTube once it is posted there about a week or so later.
Harry Bognich
President@lwvjoco.org
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| Reminder about New LWVUS Dues Payment & Updates
The League of Women Voters sends out membership renewal reminders 60 and 30 days prior to your membership’s expiration date, as well as 30 days after that date. If you don’t renew within 30 days of your membership expiration date, you will be considered a new member when you renew your membership. This is inconvenient, but it is how the new national system works.
If you wish to continue with the League (and we sure hope you do), please renew your membership at lwv.org or on our website’s Join Us button that now connects directly to lwv.org.
You may also renew by check but be sure to make the check payable to LWVUS and mail it to League of Women Voters Johnson County, P.O. Box 13491, Overland Park, KS 66282-3491 or bring your check to the welcome table at a Saturday league meeting.
Your $75 dues are divided among the national league, as well as the Kansas league and our local chapter. Please disregard the incorrect link about membership renewal that appeared in July’s The Voter newsletter.
We also greatly appreciate donations made to our chapter. One way to donate is to go to our website, lwvjoco.org and click on the donate button. Or you may mail a check payable to LWV JoCo, P.O. Box 13491, Overland Park, KS 66282-3491 or bring your check to the welcome table at a Saturday league meeting.
We appreciate our Johnson County League members! Please contact membership@lwvjoco.org with any questions about first-time membership, renewals or donations.
| | Looking to add some LWV merch to your closet? What about a yard sign to show your support?
Previously printed shirts, pins, and yard signs will be available for purchase at our Oct 4th meeting! Please bring cash or check to purchase.
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Our monthly newsletter, The VOTER, provides information on League programs and events. Get it delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free!
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