League of Women Voters Tuesday Topics

Marisa O'Gara on Proposed KS Constitutional Amendment

The League of Women Voters hosts a presenter to discuss various civic engagement topics on the first Tuesday. Attend in person and purchase lunch from Millennium Cafe or view the live stream on Zoom.

About our Speaker: Marisa O'Gara 

Marisa O’Gara is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Institute for Responsive Government, where she drafts election legislation and constitutional amendments both nationally and in Kansas. She previously spent four years as an election litigator at Elias Law Group, where she litigated voting rights cases nationally and in Kansas. Her work in the state includes constitutional challenges to Kansas's elimination of the three-day mail ballot grace period, as well as litigation in which the League has been a plaintiff regarding Kansas's signature matching law and the "false representation of an election official" provision. She received her B.A. from the University of Rhode Island, her J.D. from Cornell University, and is a member of the Kansas, Illinois, and D.C. bars.

About the Kansas Constitution

The Kansas Constitution was approved by Kansas voters on October 4, 1859. However, it was not the official constitution of Kansas until it was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and signed by the President. President James Buchanan signed the bill on January 29, 1861, making Kansas the 34th state to enter the Union.

The Kansas Secretary of State, through the Elections Division, is responsible for the administration of all national and state elections. 

The Kansas Secretary of State also provides a historical list of Constitutional Amendments and Proposed Amendments including the results of each election. 

The Kansas Legislature voted on House Concurrent Resolution 5004 in Spring 2005. A two-thirds vote is required during one legislative session for the Kansas State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 27 votes in the Kansas State Senate and 84 votes in the Kansas House of Representatives, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

About the proposed constitutional amendment

On Nov. 3, 2026, Kansas voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment on their general election ballots.

Constitutional Amendment - Kansas Citizenship Voting Requirement

Explanatory statement: This amendment would clarify that only a person who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to vote in this state.

A vote for this proposition would clarify that only a person who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to vote in this state.
A vote against this proposition would make no change to the constitution of the state of Kansas, and the language concerning voter qualifications would remain the same.

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About Tuesday Topics: The first Tuesday of each month the League of Women Voters hosts a presenter to discuss various civic engagement topics. Lunch can be purchased from the library's Millennium Cafe and brought into the meeting.
Attend in person or by Zoom.

Attend by Zoom

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