On Sept. 29, the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library hosted the annual Candidate Meet & Greet, where Shawnee County residents were able to speak with prospective mayoral candidates and candidates for local offices, such as school boards and city council positions. Other organizations, such as the League of Women Voters of Topeka and the Topeka Voter Collective, assisted in the creation of the program.
“This is, I believe, the fourth year that we’ve had this candidate forum in this particular setting,” said Glenda Overstreet Vaughn, president of the Topeka League of Women Voters. “It’s not a formal structure. It’s here to provide you with an opportunity to have an intimate setting with your respective potential candidate or incumbent candidate.”
Topeka residents sat among candidates at tables where they could chat about future plans and policies. Several attended to be informed voters.
The library provided snacks to assist with the intimate, informal nature of the event.
“That’s what I spent my budget on — snacks,” said Lissa Staley, community connections librarian. “We also have a craft table … you can make a button about voting and [we have] lots of information and lots of candidates.”
Angel Romero, coordinator for Topeka Voter Collaborative, spoke about the Topeka Voter Collaborative, an organization of civic engagement groups around Topeka and Shawnee County.
“So, if you haven’t heard, the Topeka Voter Collaborative is a collective of organizations like the League of Women Voters, the Topeka Chamber, the Topeka Library, all these organizations that are committed to turning out the vote in local elections in Topeka and Shawnee County,” Romero said. “This event and all the other things happening this Fall are part of our goal this year, called ‘Top City 25.’”
Romero explained that Top City 25 is an effort to reach a 25% voter turnout for the 2025 local election.
“That would mean 4,000 more voters than turned out in the last mayoral election. We know that’s a big goal, but we’re the capital city of Kansas. If anyone can do it, we can do it,” Romero said.
The deadline to register to vote in local elections is Tuesday, Oct. 14. The Shawnee County general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Edited by Anushma Dahal and Stuti Khadka
