Finding nonpartisan government information

Angel Romero with Ballots and Brews, Mary Lou Davis with the League of Women Voters, and Lissa Staley with the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library presented "Finding Nonpartisan Government Information" at the July 11, 2023, League of Women Voters Topeka-Shawnee County Tuesday Topics. We've included highlights of the presentation below. The library is a partner with the League of Women Voters in sharing nonpartisan civic information.

Local information

Angel Romero created Ballots and Brews during the pandemic a few years back. The goal is to get people involved in civic activities and help them learn about local government. Ballots and Brews is a podcast that interviews local beer brewers and people involved in local government. Angel also has a Ballots and Brews Facebook page to keep people informed of upcoming government meetings and events.

Romero focused on information available on the City of Topeka’s website, especially the Open Data project at the bottom of the page. The data includes high interest topics like:

• Road projects – you can see a live map of all road projects that includes progress and funding sources
• Finance – information about city finances including the city checkbook and city performance metrics

Other highlights of the City of Topeka webpage

• Explainer videos – Defines acronyms and key city government processes including budgeting
• Boards & Commissions – See openings on City boards and commissions. Romero encouraged people to email their city council representative if they are interested in filling an opening.
• Live streaming – Watch city committee meetings (planning, social service, etc.) and city council meetings on the Facebook Live and Channel 4.
• JEDO (Joint Economic Development Organization) – decides how ½ cent sales tax money is spent for city and county
• City E-Notify – this service will send you updates of any meetings you want to follow
• City calendar shows all upcoming meetings

The League of Women Voters Topeka-Shawnee County also has volunteer observers who attend local government meetings and write reports of what happened. Anyone can read those monthly Observer Reports in The Voter newsletter online.

State Legislature Information

Mary Lou Davis, president of the League of Women Voters Topeka-Shawnee County, walked through the Kansas Legislature’s webpage and highlighted the following areas in the top and side menus.

• Find Your Legislators – The State Senator for some Topeka residents may have changed with redistricting, so it’s a good idea to double check your Senator.
• Legislative Deadlines – See when the legislature is in session, when bills must be voted on, etc.
• House and Senate – Check your representative’s webpage to see what committees they are on and which bills they’ve sponsored.
• Committees – See which bills are in the committee, find special committees and joint committees. She emphasized the committee assistant is the person to contact if you want to submit written testimony on a bill and there are specific deadlines.
• Bills – See a bill’s history. Fiscal note is a good place to start if you want background on the financial impact of the bill.
• Journals and Calendar- Journals include explanation of votes, which is where individual members may explain why they voted a certain way. Daily Journal also shows who voted how, who didn’t vote and who was absent on each vote. Calendars act as the agenda for each day of the legislative session.

Other sources for State government information

Davis also mentioned subscription services that will send you information about legislative activity including Hawver News, State Affairs, and KanFocus. Following a particular bill or issue can be tricky. Davis recommends calling The State Library of Kansas Legislative Research if you have questions on a bill or statute. She also encouraged people to email their legislators with questions about committees they serve on or bills they sponsor. Kansas Reflector is a nonprofit news operation providing in-depth reporting, diverse opinions and daily coverage of state government and politics.

Library Resources for Information

I, Lissa Staley, Community Connections Librarian, talked about library resources you can use to mitigate shocking headlines. You should always evaluate your sources. Who is publishing the article, why are they promoting that information, and what action do they want you to take?

Newsbank, is a database of newspapers you have free access to with your library card. You can access the Topeka Capital-Journal, Wichita Eagle, Kansas City Star and many other regional and national newspapers through Newsbank. Search by topic to see where the topic is being covered and read the articles. Even just reading the variety of headlines will give you a broader view on the topic than sticking to the perspective of a single article. Academic Search Premiere is a rich database of multidisciplinary journals you have free access to with your library card. Locate these on the library's website under the "Research It" tab.

Upcoming Tuesday Topics

Mark your calendar for Tue, August 1, 2023 at noon for an interactive Zoom presentation on the Kansas Oral History Project. Find the Zoom link and more information on the library's calendar. Email connect@tscpl.org with any questions.