Happy Pride Month!

The upcoming primary and general elections are the most important way for us to preserve democracy. Participating in the process is our right and our obligation. But you can do more…spread the word, educate your friends, protect your neighbors! There are lots of ways to get involved and we have a whole list below. Voting is more than just pushing a button, it’s standing up and speaking out together! Join us!

• Eliminating 8 early-voting sites in JoCo! Join our Protest for the Polls TOMORROW! 🗳️🗳️

• Countdown to primaries. ⌛⌛

• Vote No - Be part of the midterms team!✊🏽✊🏽

• Community Hubs in Kansas and Missouri! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

• 3 ways to help support our immigrant community. 3️⃣

• Meet-Ups in Kansas and Missouri! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Last week, the Johnson County Election Commission announced it was closing eight early-voting sites — in spite of receiving FULL funding from the County Commission. (OUR taxpayer dollars!) This decision was announced without explanation. No data. No transparency.

Join us for a peaceful protest tomorrow to DEMAND the Election Commission re-open the eight voting sites, most of them in densely populated areas like Mission and Olathe. Ask yourself: Who benefits when election sites are closed?

June 2 | 10 - 11 a.m. | JoCo Election Office | 2101 E. Kansas City Road | Olathe | RSVP

Can’t attend? Sign the petition! We’ll deliver it to the Election Office.

✅ Key voting dates: Kansas

• Register to vote by July 14, 2026 ⚠️

• Early/advance voting begins July 15, 2026

• Request mail ballot now - through July 28⚠️⚠️

• Primary Election Day August 4, 2026

✅ Key voting dates Missouri

• Register to vote by July 8, 2026

• Early/absentee voting begins June 23, 2026 (6 weeks before election)

• “No excuse” in-person absentee July 21 – Aug. 3, 2026

• Primary Election Day: August 4, 2026

IF you live on either side of state line in the KC metro area and typically get a mail-in ballot because you don’t have access to transportation or have mobility issues, please reach out to info@bootsonthegroundmidwest.org. Put Election Ride in the subject line and we’ll get in touch.

On Aug. 4, we MUST stop billionaire political donors from turning our impartial justices into politicians for sale by VOTING NO.

Out-of-state political donors want to overhaul the Kansas Supreme Court so they can rubber-stamp their agenda – including gutting abortion rights.

Training provided!

✅ Virtual phone banks

• Tuesdays in June from 6 - 8:30. Sign up here for any Tuesday.

• Thursdays in June from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sign up here for any Thursday.

• Saturday in June from 1 - 2:30 p.m. Sign up here for any Saturday.

✅ Canvassing in Johnson County

• Saturdays in June at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. Address provided with sign up.

Find canvass launch dates for Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita here.

Join Boots on the Ground to help us put together Vote No signs and plan ways to support Kansans United for Impartial Courts. Pizza provided.

✅ RSVP here. JoCo address provided to respondents. (Kindly respond ONLY if you plan to attend since we’ll be buying food.) Who says fighting fascists can’t be fun?

✅ Each month we host six Community Hubs in the KC area. Join us in June to meet new friends, get involved in making the midterm elections a success, and learn about upcoming opportunities to protect democracy! Attend whichever hub works for you.

• June 1 - Leawood at Congregation Beth Torah (New location for June only) RSVP HERE

• June 2 - Olathe at Redemption Church RSVP HERE

• June 3 - NE JoCo at Merriam Library RSVP HERE

• June 4 - Shawnee at Shawnee Library RSVP HERE

• June 4 - Lenexa/Overland Park at SMUUCH RSVP HERE

• June 6 - Waldo at South Broadland Presbyterian -- RSVP HERE Please bring non-perishable food donations for the little pantry. Also: Amy Slaybaugh from Respect Mo Voters will explain how we can protect the citizen initiative process in Missouri—beginning with a NO vote on Amendment 4 in the August 4th election.

When the World Cup games gear up, so will ICE. Support our immigrant community by spreading the word.

✅ ONE: Attend Community Defense training. Learn how to be an effective ICE witness in this free community training!

Sunday | June 14 | 1 to 2:30 p.m. | Midtown | Must RSVP for address

✅ TWO: Canvass business and apartments with Know Your Rights info! We will meet up for snacks, training, then go as a group. No experience required!

Let’s support and prepare our neighbors in Shawnee and Merriam before increased ICE presence during the World Cup.

Wednesday, June 10 from 9-11 am | Sunday, June 14 from 1-3 pm |SIGN UP HERE

✅ THREE: DACA recipients are under siege. Call your Reps and Senators TODAY!!!!

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is under serious legal threat. This 2012 federal program protects young immigrants brought here as children from deportation. For most, this is the only country they know and they’re fully vested in their communities and careers. Some 15,000 Dreamers call Kansas and Missouri home.

The current administration is deliberately delaying renewal applications as a federal case against Dreamers winds through the courts.

PLEASE take two minutes to call your U.S. Representative and Senator and tell them to support the DREAM Act.

➡️ Find your U.S. Representative and Senator’s contact info here. (Then put it in your contacts and call them daily.)

“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY], [STATE], zip code [ZIP].

I’m calling to urge [Representative/Senator NAME] to support permanent protection for DACA recipients — the nearly 500,000 Dreamers who have lived, worked, and contributed to this country for most of their lives.

DACA is under serious legal threat right now and these young people deserve certainty. I’m asking [him/her/them] to co-sponsor and vote YES on the Dream Act.

These are our neighbors, coworkers, teachers, and community members. They deserve a permanent path forward — not an endless cycle of legal uncertainty.

Can you tell me the Representative’s/Senator’s current position on the Dream Act?”

NEW!!! We are launching our first KCMO Meet-Up on June 17th!

We’ll have more info soon on speakers and agenda. Mark your calendars and register now!

✅ SIGN UP HERE

Join us for a panel discussion on what would happen to real Kansans if billionaires get control of our state Supreme Court. Our panelists include:

• Stacey Knoell - Johnson County Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coalition

• Hazel Krebs - LGBTQ+ Activist

• Taylor Morton - Planned Parenthood

• Claire Reagan - Olathe School Board

• Anamarie Rebori-Simmons (Moderator) - Kansas United for Impartial Courts

✅ Monday | June 15 | 6 p.m. | Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church | 9400 Pflumm | Lenexa, KS | RSVP here.

➡️ Please bring donation of non-perishable food!

The Boots on the Ground calendar offers a curated list of action items in Kansas and the KCMO metro.

Please submit items for the calendar to: calendar@bootsonthegroundmidwest.org

First, thanks for being part of the resistance. We need every one of you!

We keep our work free because we want everyone to have access to information and resources aimed at preserving democracy and fighting authoritarianism.

You can support through Substack by opting for a paid subscription. Or, you can donate through ActBlue. Thank you so much!