Introduction to the Election Office

The Election Office was originally a city office. Early news articles reflect colorful Election Commissioners including one who took the radical point of view that women should be allowed to serve as Members of the Election Board. County elections were administered by the County Clerk. In 1947, the elections duties of the two offices were consolidated into one county office.

The permanent staff at the Election Office is proud to serve the citizens of Shawnee County. The Election Systems Specialist is Cindy Collins, who, with the help of Edie Zarger, the Assistant Systems Specialist, maintains and programs the equipment for use during the election. The Voter Services Director, Penny Prokop supervises our public service division. Sharon Bingham assists candidates and is responsible for voter registrations, Jane Fernkopf works with the election board workers and handles cancellations, and Janette Gully assists with Advance Voting.  The office is also lucky to have many additional seasonal employees that return year after year.

The Election Office staff provides a solid foundation of experience and capability. These employees are Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters who are dedicated to serving all the people of Shawnee County.

Special mention must be made of the faithful service provided to the voters of Shawnee County by Norine Staab, the Assistant Election Commissioner. Norine’s knowledge, experience and judgment are indispensable to this office.

Elizabeth “Libby” Ensley is the Shawnee County Election Commissioner. Libby was first appointed by Bill Graves, then Kansas Secretary of State, in 1992 to fill an unexpired term. Since then, she has been reappointed four times. Her last appointment was by Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh in 2006 for a four-year term.

In the last fourteen years in office, the voting equipment has been upgraded from mechanical lever voting machines to optical scan vote tabulation devises and will now include touch screen voting which provides privacy for those with disabilities. The National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act have both been successfully implemented in the office, and Advance Voting has become the voting method of choice for 16% of those people who participate in an election.

Biography

Elizabeth "Libby" Ensley
Shawnee County Election Commissioner
IACREOT Election Officials’ Director-At-Large

Elizabeth Ensley is the Election Commissioner for Shawnee County, Kansas, the jurisdiction for the Capital, Topeka, Kansas. Libby was first appointed in 1992 and has been appointed four more times by two different Secretaries of State.

She is a member of the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers and began facilitating conference sessions in 2002. She has served as Election Committee Co-Chair, Education Chairman and was Chairman of the Chancellor’s Certificate of Public Administration Program. During that time, the CCPA program was reorganized to increase class availability. She has achieved the Advanced level of the Chancellor’s Certification Program. Elizabeth was recently appointed as Director-at-Large for the Election Officials’ Division.

Libby is also active in the Kansas County Clerk’s & Election Official’s Association where she was named Election Committee Chairman for five years, served as President of the Northeast Kansas County Officials Association, was appointed to the Kansas Reform Advisory Council and the Kansas Election Standards Task Force. On this Task Force, the Shawnee County provisional ballot process became the basis for the statewide standard. Currently she is serving on the state registration software enhancement committee. Elizabeth is on the State Board of Directors for Kids Voting Kansas. She has spoken at conferences and has published several articles. Awards received include the Kansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee Woman of Distinction Certificate, Living the Dream, Political Action Award and has graduated from the Leadership Greater Topeka and Leadership Kansas programs.

Outside of elections, Libby is a graduate of Washburn University with a B.A. in Political Science and therefore a great fan of the ‘Fighting Ichabods.’ She is an avid bicyclist and in 2003, 2005 and 2007, biked over 500 miles across Kansas. She is also active in her church and is widowed with two children.