Volume 78, Number 8 | September 2026 |  | The US Immigration System, Kansas Issues,
Immigrant Safety, Voting, and YOU!
We are thrilled to have local organizations AIRR and Boots on the Ground Midwest presenting Immigration 101!
Join us IN PERSON on October 3rd to learn:
- How the immigration system in the US and KS/MO functions
- Dismantling immigration disinformation
- Keeping immigrants and yourself safe
- Immigration and voting - current laws and what you need to know to share with your neighbors
This impactful program will not be livestreamed or recorded, so please join us on Saturday to learn more!
Saturday, October 3 at 9:30 am (doors open at 9:00 am)
at Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church
9400 Pflumm Rd.
Lenexa, KS 66215
Key election dates coming up:
October 13 - Deadline to register to vote or update your voter registration address or name for the General Election.
November 3 - Election Day
Now a great time to share information with your friends and neighbors, or invite them to become a member! More information about how to join or renew your membership is available below. You can download our Calls to Action sheet below for more ideas on getting your friends and neighbors involved in voting. Thanks for being a part of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County! |
Olathe Meet & Greet
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.
Know Your Courts: A Conversation with Kansas Judges
This November, Kansas voters will be asked whether to retain judges. Join us to hear from Justice Larkin Walsh from the Supreme Court, Retired Judge Mike Buser from the Court of Appeals and Judge Jackie Rokusek and Judge Chuck Droege of the Johnson County District Court.
Getting Oriented to the League
Whether you are an existing, new, or prospective member of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, KS, please join us for an informative one-hour session about the history of our chapter and the current volunteer opportunities.
Check the Events Calendar to see or register for all upcoming events!
| Last month, I wrote about the proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution, Article 5, Section 1 (“Qualifications of electors”) on the ballot for the November 3 general election. I suggested that the proposal is not what the Legislature says it is: it is not a grammar cleanup intended just to “clarify” Section 1. It is a significant “Trojan Horse” meant to create a constitutional home for sending out statutes that make it more difficult or too expensive for many who are qualified to vote. There are two good reasons to reject this proposed amendment on November 3.
First Reason. If this proposal really is just a “clarifying” exercise, rather than a poorly disguised attempt to rewrite the constitutional default provision for qualifying our voters, that alone would be a good enough reason to vote NO, as a misuse of legislators’ time and taxpayer dollars.
The first sentence of Section 1 has always said the same thing: “Every United States citizen. . . shall be deemed a qualified elector.”
The proposed change to those first six words? “No person shall be deemed a qualified elector unless such person is a citizen of the United States.” The law requires the Legislature to include an Explanatory Statement. Here, the explanatory statement says only one thing about both the reason for the proposal and the expected results: “This amendment would clarify that only a person who is a citizen of the United State is eligible to vote in this state. “
A state’s constitution is one its most important and long lasting legal documents. Amending it is a serious matter. Article 5, Section 1 has been amended only twice: in 1917 (giving Kansas women a constitutional right to vote in state elections (well in advance of the 19th Amendment); and in 1974, to require that Kansas voters be at least 18 years old and a resident of the voting area where they want to vote. What is now so important that it takes a constitutional amendment?
Why don’t we just take the Legislature at their word? They say their effort is merely “clarifying” Section 1 to ensure that only U.S. citizens can vote in Kansas. The first six words of Section 1 are already perfectly clear that every U.S. citizen can be eligible to vote in Kansas. (And only U.S. citizens, since noncitizens are not included). Which part of that is unclear? And what is it about the gendered pronouns “he or she” or “his or her” that removing them is a constitutional necessity? Why does all of Section 1 need reorganizing into reworded subsections if the sole issue is the definition of in Sentence 1? This proposal does not give Kansans the credit of being smart enough to see through what is claimed as a mere “clarity” attempt.
Second Reason. The real goal of this proposal is to eliminate our constitution’s default test for claiming U.S. citizenship and replace it with a preliminary exclusive test, supposedly to better weed out noncitizens. It proposes to reverse the inclusive plain intent and meaning of the first sentence of Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution (“Qualifications of electors”).
Article 5. Section 1 of our Constitution must be read with Section 4, which directs the Legislature to pass laws for “providing proper proofs” of the right to vote. Kansas has long had a two-step election process. First, you must register to vote. Once registered, you may vote accompanied only by one of several photo identification documents approved by the Kansas Secretary of State.
Section 4 comes into play at registration. Proof that you are a U.S. citizen (and, after 1974, also are least 18 and residing in the Kansas voting area where you want to vote) happens at registration. Complete the registration form, sign it, and swear or affirm an oath to the truthfulness of everything on the form, under penalty of perjury. Election perjury is a crime under both United States and Kansas law, and it is punishable by fines and imprisonment. After registering, you are free to vote, accompanied only by one of several photo identification documents approved by the Kansas Secretary of State.
Why does the League view this proposed amendment as an attempt to open a new constitutional gate that allows subsequent passage of laws that will suppress voting? One reason is the lessons learned from Fish v. Kobach, 309 F. Supp. 3d 1048, 1113 (D. Kan. 2018); affirmed as Fish v. Schwab, 957 F.3d 1105, 1134 (10th Cir. 2020); Schwab v. Fish, 141 S. Ct. 65 2020) (petition for writ of certiorari denied). In 2011, the Legislature passed a law called the Kansas Secure and Fair Elections (SAFE) Act, which took effect in 2013. Among other things, it required that “each person registering to vote must provide proof of U.S. citizenship,” meaning birth certificates or naturalization papers. Mr. Fish and four other individuals filed a civil action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, along with the League of Women Voters of Kansas. It was 2016 before the judge entered a preliminary injunction, which was made permanent in 2018.
It seems obvious that the current proposal is an effort to open a new constitutional gate through which legislators could push through laws that generally unduly burden too many citizens who just want to vote. Proponents have admitted that they believe changing the wording of Sentence 1 would ensure that production of citizenship documents could not be challenged on the basis of constitutional wording.
We need to protect our constitutional election guardrails, which have served us well for 167 years. We prevailed in Fish, but according to the court’s findings, at least 31,000 people were barred from voting between 2013 and 2016, when the injunction was first entered. In September 2021, the state agreed to pay legal fees of $1.9 million in that case.
Please vote NO.
Alleen VanBebber
LWV JoCo President
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This Month, you'll find reports for:
Johnson County Commission
Commission on Aging
Mental Health Advisory Board
Library Board
Blue Valley School Board
Shawnee Mission School Board
Overland Park City Council
| | | Are you interested in learning more about how County government works?
We are looking for one or two additional observers for the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners. This board meets once a week, on Thursday mornings, and the meetings can be viewed in person at the County offices in Olathe, or online as they are happening, or later. So much of what we care about as residents of Johnson County is affected by the discussions and decisions of this board, such as property tax levels and processes, funding for emergency and mental health services, and infrastructure that makes everything work. We currently have one very dedicated observer for this Board, and she would love some company! If you are interested, contact Eileen at observercorps@lvwjoco.org to learn more. No obligation; just information. | _________________________________
| Please Pick Up Your League Name Tag
New members who joined our Johnson County chapter from October 2025-August 2026 have permanent name tags waiting for them at each of the Saturday League events at Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church. Please pick yours up and wear it when you are volunteering as part of the League or attending political events to build awareness of our organization.
If you have joined since September 2026 and would like a name tag, please contact Membership@lwvjoco.org or let us know at the welcome table at a Saturday event and we will have one made for you!
| Important Information about Annual League Membership Dues
We welcome new members to our chapter. The suggested annual League membership fee is $75, but a minimum of $20 may be paid to fit your circumstances. Please go to www.lwv.org. This is the national league's website, which processes all dues. You may renew your annual membership the same way. Renewing members receive email reminder notices 30 and 60 days before their membership expires. At any time, you can check the national site to access your account or create one if you are not yet a League member.
If you need assistance to establish or renew your membership, or just don't feel comfortable with the online process, please come to the check-in table at Saturday meetings, and we will be happy to assist you.
To help us succeed, donations to our Johnson County chapter are most welcome and appreciated in addition to membership fees. Donations in any amount may be made on our website, www.lwvjoco.org. Please look for the donate button.
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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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