Volume 78, Number 2 | February 2026 |  |
We are looking forward to a busy year ahead and want you to be a part of it! It is important for members to attend the Annual Meeting to approve the 2026-2027 budget, hold elections for Board positions, make changes to our bylaws, set the local programs for the year, and make other decisions for the coming year. According to the bylaws, a quorum of members is required to conduct League business at the annual meeting. Meeting packets were sent out by email on February 12th for members to review. Please register below so we know how many to expect at the meeting. Thank you!
REGISTER AND ADD TO CALENDAR
Not a member?
Scroll down for Membership information and how to renew your membership
or join the League of Women Voters!
Did you miss our last program "Match Ready: How Johnson County is Preparing for the FIFA World Cup"? Check out our YouTube page to watch and learn how local and state officials are gearing up to host thousands of people this Summer!
SMUUCh's Food Bank accepts food and toiletry item donations, so please consider bringing items to donate with you to League programs. Project 1020 is a cold weather shelter for homeless adults on the south wing of SMUUCh and the shelter says it currently needs large and extra large sweatpants. Please consider bringing sweatpants to donate at the meeting if you are able! Thank you!
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| | The League of Women Voters of the United States issued the following statement in response to the February 11 House vote on the SAVE America Act:
"The House passage of the SAVE America Act is a direct attack on the freedom to vote.
Let’s be clear: the SAVE America Act, alongside the SAVE Act, Make Elections Great Again Act, and similar proposals, is part of a coordinated effort to make voting harder for eligible Americans. These bills are not about election security. They are about restricting access to the ballot and deciding who gets to participate in our democracy. | | | Under the false banner of ‘election integrity,’ lawmakers are advancing policies designed to block lawful voters from participating in our elections — particularly rural voters, voters of color, and nearly 70 million married women who have changed their last names, along with other voters who have been historically marginalized and already face barriers to casting a ballot. This is modern-day voter suppression, plain and simple.
If enacted, the impact of these anti-voter bills would be massive. Millions of eligible voters could be blocked from casting a ballot under the SAVE America Act’s restrictive documentary proof of citizenship requirements. This includes voters who are already properly registered and previously provided proof of citizenship but could still be turned away at the polls if they do not bring a passport or other qualifying document with them on Election Day.
The freedom to vote is fundamental and nonnegotiable. For more than a century, the League of Women Voters has fought to expand voter access, not restrict it. We urge the Senate to reject the SAVE America Act and any legislation that makes it harder for people to exercise their constitutional right to vote.”
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LEGISLATIVE COFFEES
Discover what's percolating in the Kansas Legislature. Representatives and Senators will discuss the new legislative session, followed by Q&A. You bring the questions! This series is presented in partnership with the Johnson County Library.
Upcoming Dates:
GET TO KNOW THE LEAGUE
Whether you are a potential, new, or existing member of the League of Women Voters, we invite you to learn more about the history and mission of the national organization and the varied volunteer opportunities with our Johnson County, KS, chapter.
ANNUAL MEETING
Our annual meeting will take place on Saturday, March 7th, 2026 beginning at 9:30 am at Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church. It is important that all members plan to attend this meeting where we will vote on new board members, updates to the bylaws, and the budget for our 2026-2027 cycle.
BOOK CLUB
Join leader Kim Baker in reading "Spark of Light" by Jody Picoult. The warm fall day starts like any other at The Center, a women's reproductive health service clinic, until a distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire.
Check the Events Calendar to see or register for all upcoming events!
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Find out in this month's observer reports:
1.What Overland Park is being recognized for in the Kansas City Business Journal.
2.2027 Bond Issues in Blue Valley School District
3.Updates to the Health Services Building in Johnson County and the "topping ceremony" for the building.
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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| LWVJOCO REPRESENTATIVE AT
UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
The League of Women Voters of Johnson County is honored to announce that our Membership Chair, Colette Panchot, will be one of the women from the League of Women Voters US to attend as an Observer the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations! The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women.
Colette will be traveling to New York City in March for nearly two weeks to hear discussions from world leaders and organizations on this years priority theme of "ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers". Colette plans to return and present the findings of the commission with our local league later this spring.
This is a tremendous honor that will also come at a significant financial cost to attend. The LWV Johnson County board would like to support her efforts in going. Any members who would like to financially contribute to assist Colette in attending this unique opportunity may do so by donating directly to our local league with the designation of "UN trip" or "Colette Panchot" in the comments.
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Our Annual Meeting is coming soon on March 7, 2026. Each member was sent an email “2026 Annual Meeting” on the afternoon of February 12 with the Meeting Packet information for you to review. Please plan to attend.
Emails from the National League (lwv@lwv.org) are automatically sent to every league member. Every member who wants these emails is getting them at the email address you provided for your national membership, or the emails are going into your spam folders, unless you unsubscribe (opt out). Members who are not receiving emails can go to https://www.lwv.org/take-action to subscribe.
Our State League here in Kansas can use your help. The State Board needs these volunteers: Communication Director, Membership Director, Voter Services Director, Second Vice President, and two more Nomination Committee members. Nearly all the meetings are online (Zoom), so rarely is a trip to Topeka needed. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, contact president@lwvk.org by email.
Continue to contact your Kansas Legislature Representatives in the Kansas House and the Kansas Senate to let them know what bills you want them to be supporting or opposing. At this time while lawmakers are in session, phone calls are better than emails. LWVJoCo is helping to host Legislative Coffees on February 21 and 28; these are a good place to meet legislators and find out what is happening – see Events on our website for more information.
Our LWVJoCo website has lots of information for you. Among many things, be sure to scroll down on the Home Page to “The Latest” where you can find multiple links, especially to our YouTube videos which cover the “2026 Judicial Amendment”, “Legislative Coffees”, “Monthly Meetings” (on important topics).
Harry Bognich
President@lwvjoco.org
|  | 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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