Hi ~~first_name~~:
Democracy works best with informed and active participants. Read on for opportunities to get to know your candidates, help get out the vote and learn more about elections in the time of COVID.
|  | Johnson County Board of Commissioners Candidate Forum
Take time to learn about the candidates currently running for the Johnson County Board of Commissioners and important issues surrounding these races.
Six candidates are running for three available seats: Jeff Meyers and Rob Patterson (District 2), Charlotte O’Hara and Stacy Obringer-Varhall (District 3), and Mike Brown and Shirley Allenbrand (District 6). Only the three candidates listed below responded to our invitation to participate, despite repeated requests.
Tuesday, September 29 at 4:30 pm | Zoom
Candidates: Jeff Meyers (District 2), Stacy Obringer-Varhall (District 3) and Shirley Allenbrand (District 6).
Moderators: Amanda Vega-Mavec, Johnson County Latina Leadership Network, and Amber Stenger, League of Women Voters of Johnson County
Register in advance for this free virtual candidate forum: http://bit.ly/jocobocc2020
| In the news: Souls to the Polls
Souls to the Polls, our GOTV initiative in Wyandotte County, continues to garner attention. Watch Dr. Elizabeth Ann Sanders, LWVJoCo member and former president, speak about the coalition's effort in this article and video clip on KMBC. Then, register for the Souls to the Polls caravan on Oct. 10 here. Many thanks to Deb Scott and Robyn Hart for the purple "VOTE" poster seen the video clip.
Learn more about Souls to the Polls here. | | | The LVW mourns Justice Ginsburg
"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's wisdom, determination and dedication to equal rights embodied the League's belief in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy."
Read the full statement from the national League's president, Deborah Turner, and CEO, Virginia Kase, here. | | | Many thanks to the KCATA
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is updating their kiosks, onboard video displays, mobile app banners, passenger bulletins and vehicle head signs to get out the vote. The voter information campaign also promotes Vote411.org, LWV's online voter guide. In addition, fares on all RideKC bus routes serving Kansas City, Johnson County, Wyandotte County and Independence have been suspended because of COVID-19 and will remain free on Election Day.
Read their blog, "Get Ready for Election Day, Nov. 3" here. | | | Stay engaged
How can we meet your needs?
It is very likely that all LWVJoCo events will be virtual through the end of our fiscal year, March 31, 2021. With that in mind, we would like to hear your ideas on how we can meet the needs of our members and our community. Please take this brief member survey to share your ideas.
Candidate Forums with the Shawnee Mission Post
As they've done in previous election cycles, the Shawnee Mission Post is hosting a series of candidate forums for political races in Johnson County. Because of COVID-19, these will be held online. They will bring candidates in each race together for up to an hour at a time and livestream it on their Facebook page.
View the Johnson County DA Candidate Forum
Did you miss the Johnson County DA Candidate Forum on September 22? Great news! You can still hear the two candidates' views on key issues in the forum recording, available here.
Join us for a discussion on elections and COVID-19
LWVJoCo's October meeting will focus on voting during and after COVID-19. This meeting will address the impact of the pandemic on the upcoming election and future elections, how we can overcome voting hurdles, and how we can boost voter confidence and turnout. Our guest panelists are:
- Connie Schmidt, Johnson County Election Commissioner
- Nadine Johnson, Executive Director, ACLU of Kansas
- Jessica Jones Capparel, LWV Policy & Legislative Affairs Senior Manager
These topics are of utmost importance ahead of the November election, and we hope you will join the discussion.
The fight for fair maps
Leagues across all 50 states are engaged in state-led actions to create a fair districting process as part of the national redistricting reform campaign, People Powered Fair Maps. All 50 states and DC will be redrawing their maps in 2021 with census data collected this year. The national LWV highlights activities in a few states, including our neighbors in Missouri, in this blog. Visit the LWVK website to find out more about our redistricting efforts in Kansas.
The election office needs your help
Attention Independents and Republicans: opportunities are now open for the Johnson County Election Office. (Democrat slots have been filled.) Volunteers will open envelopes and flatten applications and ballots in four-hours shifts. Shifts are available Monday through Friday, October 19 through November 6, from 8 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
| |