The League of Women Voters of Kansas (LWVK) is a state-level affiliate of the League of Women Voters (LWV). ¹ While nominally a nonpartisan organization, its policy priorities generally align with left-of-center principles, and it has been active in litigating against efforts by right-of-center activists and Republican elected officials to add additional security measures to voter registration and elections in Kansas. ^{2 3 4} In 2021, LWVK switched its tax status from a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization to a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit, enabling it to receive tax-deductible donations. ^{5 6}

Founded in 1919, LWVK produces voter guides, holds candidate forums, and operates voter registration drives across Kansas. ⁷ LWVK describes itself as “fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice,” and its website enumerates a list of 28 protected characteristics as well as a broader “any other characteristic that can be identified as recognizing or illustrating diversity.” ⁸

Policy Advocacy

While officially a nonpartisan organization, the League of Women Voters of Kansas promotes left-of-center positions on policy areas such as Medicaid expansion, taxes, educational choice, judicial nominations, abortion, environmental policy, government-subsidized broadband services, and opposition to the death penalty. ^{8 2}

LWVK, the Kansas Natural Resource Council, the Kansas Farmers Union, and the Climate + Energy Project sponsor the Kansas Rural Center’s weekly “Policy Watch” newsletter, which reports on state government policy activity from a left-of-center perspective. ⁹

Election Integrity Litigation

Citizenship Requirements

In 2016, LWVK, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union-Kansas, sued to overturn a state law requiring prospective voters to present proof of American citizenship when registering to vote. ³

Federal district and appeals courts ruled against the state, finding that its law was preempted by the federal National Voter Registration Act’s limitations on what documentation may be required by state voter registration programs. ³

Election Official Impersonation and Signature Verification

In 2021 the Kansas Legislature passed an election integrity law over the veto of Governor Laura Kelly (D). ⁴ Among other provisions, the law made it a felony to engage in conduct “that gives the appearance of being an election official” or that “would cause another person to believe a person engaging in such conduct is an election official.” ⁴

LWVK, the left-of-center youth voter registration group Loud Light, the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, and the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center sued to overturn the law, arguing that provisions concerning impersonating election officials could potentially be construed to criminalize their voter registration and education efforts. ⁴ They were represented by ACLU Kansas. While a state appeals court originally ruled that the organizations did not have standing to challenge the law as they had not been charged under it, the state’s Supreme Court overruled that decision in 2023. ⁴

In May 2024, the Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling on a combined set of three election law challenges brought by LWVK and other plaintiffs. ¹⁰ It ruled that the impersonation components of the statute were “overbroad,” but rejected arguments by LWVK and others that limitations on ballot bundling and enhanced signature verification requirements were violations of the state constitution’s guarantee of the right to vote. ¹¹

The state Supreme Court allowed LWVK and its fellow plaintiffs to return to the lower courts to litigate the question of whether the methods Kansas governments use to verify voter signatures violate voters’ equal protection and due process rights. ¹¹ LWVK had argued that the statute failed to set specific standards for verifying signatures or require training of election officials on how to do so. ¹¹

1. “Home.” League of Women Voters of Kansas. Accessed February 7, 2025. https://lwvk.org/.
2. “League of Women Voters of Kansas 2024 Legislative Priorities.” League of Women Voters of Kansas, 2024. https://lwvk.org/docs.ashx?id=1280396.
3. “Fish v. Kobach.” ACLU of Kansas, September 15, 2021. https://www.aclukansas.org/en/cases/fish-v-kobach.
4. Petterson, Edvard. “Kansas Supreme Court Reinstates Challenge to ‘impersonating Election Official’ Law.” Courthouse News Service, December 15, 2023. https://www.courthousenews.com/kansas-supreme-court-reinstates-challenge-to-impersonating-election-official-law/.
5. “Final Determination Letter,” Internal Revenue Service, October 22, 2021. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/dl/FinalLetter_48-6119262_LEAGUEOFWOMENVOTERSOFKANSAS_02122021_00.tif
6. “League of Women Voters of Kansas.” ProPublica. Accessed February 7, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/486119262.
7. “LWVK History.” History – League of Women Voters of Kansas. Accessed February 7, 2025. https://lwvk.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=588009&module_id=543097.
8. “Our Foundational Principles – Where We Stand.” League of Women Voters of Kansas. Accessed February 7, 2025. https://lwvk.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=588009&module_id=543096.
9. “Document Library.” League of Women Voters of Kansas. Accessed February 7, 2025. https://lwvk.org/content.aspx?page_id=86&club_id=588009&item_id=184620.
10. “League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab, 549 P. 3d 363 – Kan: Supreme Court 2024” Justia Law. Accessed February 7, 2025. https://law.justia.com/cases/kansas/supreme-court/2024/124378.html.
11. Petterson, Edvard. “Kansas Supreme Court Finds Law on Impersonating Election Officials to Be Overbroad.” Courthouse News Service, May 31, 2024. https://www.courthousenews.com/kansas-supreme-court-finds-law-on-impersonating-election-officials-to-be-overbroad/.