Below are the registration fees:

* Due to lack of staff, we are primarily focused on offering Council as an in-person event. We will do our best to create a virtual experience for those who are unable to attend in person, but it will not be a comparable interactive experience. We will offer a voting process for virtual delegates and will stream the plenary and workshop sessions via Zoom, but we will not necessarily have the ability to include virtual participants in Q&A sessions. It will be up to individual caucus organizers to figure out how to make their sessions available to virtual attendees.

The in-person registration fee will cover lunch, happy hour, and buffet dinner on Saturday, as well as a continental breakfast on Sunday. Coffee, tea, water, and other beverages will also be provided. We suggest that attendees bring their own coffee cups.

Delegates and observers will use the same registration process. Local Leagues will submit their list of approved delegates to Amy no later than May 19.

FRIDAY

4 p.m. | Walking Tour of Capitol Grounds

6 p.m. | Dine-Arounds

SATURDAY

8:30 a.m. | Retiring and New Local League President’s Breakfast (RM 192)

9 a.m. | Council Check-In Opens/Browse Display Tables

10 a.m. | Welcome to Council

10:30 a.m. | Plenary Session I

11:30 a.m. | Break

11:40 a.m. | Keynote Speaker: Kris Peters, Squaxin Tribal Chief

12:20 p.m. | Break

12:30 p.m. | Lunch + The Untold Story of Women of Color in the League of Women Voters

1:50 p.m. | Break

2 p.m. | Workshops I

• RM 157: The “ME” in MELD—Membership & Engagement
• RM 183: National Convention Caucus
• RM 189: Understanding the Lobby Team: Talk to Issue Chairs and Ask Questions

2:50 p.m. | Break

3 p.m. | Workshops II

• RM 157: Speaking with One Voice
• RM 183: Programs Coming to Local Leagues Soon
• RM 189: Local League Brainstorming: Communicating More Effectively with Diverse Entities

3:50 p.m. | Break

4 p.m. | Workshops III

• RM 157: Leadership Is a Balancing Act
• RM 183: Tabling with a Purpose
• RM 189: Nuts and Bolts of Candidate Events

4:50 p.m. | Break

5 p.m. | Happy Hour

6 p.m. | Dinner and Civics Bowl Competition

7:30pm | Caucuses

SUNDAY

8 a.m. | Browse Display Tables

9 a.m. | Plenary II

9:50 a.m. | Break

10 a.m. | Election Season 2024: Staying Nonpartisan in Partisan Times

12 p.m. | Adjourn

12 p.m. | LWVWA Education Fund (c)(3) Board Meeting and Election and LWVWA/Education Fund Board of Directors Meeting (location TBD)

There are two hotels within an easy 6-minute walk from the Council venue:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lacey

We have a block of 15 rooms with 2 queen beds each reserved for a group price of $149 (plus 11.5% tax and a $2.00 nightly flat occupancy tax) for Friday and Saturday nights. This price includes a hot buffet breakfast. If more than two people share a room, the hotel may add an additional fee. This block will be available until they are gone or May 17, whichever comes first. If there is a lot of demand, we may be able to get more rooms at this rate, so book early!

Check-in time is 3pm; check-out time is 11am. If you arrive before check-in, the hotel can store your luggage for you. You may also leave your luggage in the Display Table room at the Council venue, but LWVWA will not be able to guarantee its security.

Instructions:

1. Click Booking Link.
2. Once the link is clicked and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites webpage is open, click “SEE WHAT’S AVAILABLE” in the top right corner.
3. Enter the dates you wish to stay.
4. Select number of room and guests.
5. Leave “Rate Preference” as is and select “Search”.
6. Complete booking as usual.

League of Women Voters Booking Link

Candlewood Suites Olympia/Lacey

We have not reserved a block of rooms at the Candlewood Suites, but if you prefer to prepare your own meals, this may be a better choice for you since their rooms feature fully furnished in-room kitchens.

Homestays

There are a limited number of homestays available. Priority will be given to those with financial need. Contact Darlene Hein at dwhein68@comcast.net for more information.

• Nominating Committee Report
• Proposed Standing Rules
• Delegate Report
• Proposed Agenda for Business Meeting
• Draft Workbook

We invite local Leagues, committees, and other groups to set up (and staff) display tables for attendees to learn more about their work. (Potential display table ideas include sharing a program that you are proud of, recruiting for a project, or selling items from your League.) Table setup begins Saturday at 8am, and breakdown must be completed by 2pm on Sunday. Use this form to submit an application for your own display table. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2024.

Request a Display Table

There will be 3 sessions of 3 simultaneous workshops held on Saturday. We plan to record them and post them on our website for anyone who is unable to attend.

The “ME” in MELD—Membership & Engagement

Explore your role in the League and hear what Leagues are to doing to welcome, encourage and engage with their members, younger voters and the communities we live in.

National Convention Prep Meeting

Delegates are preparing to go to the LWVUS Convention. This will be an opportunity to touch bases with others who are planning to attend—either virtually or in-person. Meet your fellow delegates and plan for caucuses at convention.

Leadership Is a Balancing Act

League leadership is an ongoing challenge. Succession, roles and responsibilities and leadership models are all important to leadership of the future. Panelists will talk about alternative leadership models and how they have worked for their League.

Studies and Civic Education Project Coming to Local Leagues Soon

Hear about what's happening with the immigration and elder caregiving studies and the education project focused on multi-member districts. These Programs were approved by delegates at the 2023 LWVWA Convention and later this year, local Leagues will be asked to read the study reports and respond to consensus questions. Learn how you can be involved with these Programs now and be prepared for the consensus process.

Local League Brainstorming: Communicating More Effectively with Diverse Entities

The recent LWVWA research report provides findings about which local Leagues could share ideas for how to address them. These include:

• The public and stakeholders were not familiar with the League mission and range of activities;
• Some conservatives perceive the League as highly partisan;
• Younger voters, Tribes, communities of color and underserved communities do not perceive the League as an organization they would be comfortable in joining; and
• Libraries and educators do not perceive the League as effective.

Join this interactive group to brainstorm and prioritize actions local Leagues can take to address these community perceptions.

Understanding the Lobby Team: Talk to Issue Chairs and Ask Questions

Many League members have questions about what the Lobby Team is and how it works. The Lobby Team also has questions for League members about how communication could be more effective. Join this interactive group to learn from each other in a Q&A format.

Nuts and Bolts of Candidate Events

Every year, local Leagues educate voters by holding forums, debates and other kinds of events to learn about candidates. Hear from some veteran League members about best practices, and pitfalls to watch for. We will cover the basics, with emphasis on moderating events, holding successful virtual events, nudging candidates, and how to handle unexpected "surprises" when they happen.

Speaking with One Voice

A panel of local League leaders will talk about communication issues. Topics include: How does your League ensure speaking with one voice when leadership is shared? What comes to a League board for decision-making. What are some conflict resolution ideas.

Tabling with a Purpose

League voter services leaders from across the state have been meeting monthly to talk about Get Out the Vote. Come to this Voter Services workshop to share and explore ideas on reaching out to schools (K-12 and colleges), to communities, and to underserved voters.

Do you want to hold a caucus on a particular topic? Caucuses are informal gatherings outside of the regular business meeting times (after the evening program).

Submit a Caucus

Here's the current list of caucuses for Council:

Immigration and Immigrant Policy

Immigration has become one of the leading policy issues in the 2024 election. This caucus will begin with an overview of immigration in WA state, including numbers of immigrants, geographic distribution, socioeconomic status, legal status, etc. It will also discuss the LWVUS and LWVWA positions on immigration as well as recent and proposed legislative actions on immigration reform at the state and national levels. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the LWVWA study on Welcoming Immigrants to WA State.

Organizer: Susan Martin (San Juan County)

What Does Serving on the LWVWA Board of Directors Involve and Require?

This gathering provides an informal opportunity for you to ask questions about the responsibilities and expectations for those who serve on LWVWA’s Board of Directors. We hope this caucus will result in both applications from LWVWA members who would like to serve on the Board and nominations of others whom you think would help the Board envision the future of LWVWA.

Organizer: Jean Alliman (LWVWA and Spokane Area)

What Are the Keys to Getting The State We're In: WA into Schools Across Washington?

We believe civic education should inspire all students to be active, informed citizens. Leagues books do! The League has a suite of products that epitomize the League’s focus on creating a well-informed citizenry, voting age and soon-to-be voters. The books are available in English Spanish for both the junior high/high school and the elementary school levels. However, getting the books into the schools across the state is often a struggle.

Please join us for a lively discussion about the need for students to have these materials. And learn from teachers about the details of how League members can effectively approach school districts, schools and libraries, to increase the distribution of these texts. Ideas for increasing the visibility of these books availability will also be discussed.

Bonnie Bless-Boenish, former teacher; Jean Snider; and Karen Verrill will lead the discussion.

Organizer: Karen Verrill (LWVWA)

Treasurer Affinity Group: LWVUS Transformational Journey

We will continue our work on the financial piece of the LWV Transformational Journey. Suitable for Local League Treasurers, Presidents, Roster Managers, Website managers.

Organizer: Dee Kline Parkinson (Mason County)

Got Any Plans for NVRD? Here’s What’s Happening…!

The Snohomish County League is again teaming up with Evergreen Goodwill and Common Power for a 4-day voter registration and information event culminating in the final push on National Voter Registration Day on September 17th. The NVRD event will be held in 12 Goodwill stores in the Evergreen Goodwill region of King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and Kitsap counties.

We’re kicking off the fourth year of this highly successful event, and even though it's taking place in 2024 in these five counties, it could easily go statewide in selected locations next year!

Everyone attending Council is invited to learn of the possibilities of teaming up with Goodwill's outreach to typically marginalized communities and Common Power's appeal to and its leadership development program for young voters and this opportunity to represent the League for National Voter Registration Day!

Join us as we showcase this work, highlight the successes, and outline our plans for the 2024 NVRD voter registration event.

Organizer: Jeanne Crevier (Snohomish County)

Collaborative Leadership Structures

In Thurston County, we have formed a leadership team because we did not find a member who wanted to be president. We anticipate being elected at our annual meeting. We are interested in your experience, your ideas, and your advice. Here are some questions to guide our conversation:

1. Where has it been best to divide up tasks and have stable responsibility, and where has it worked best to rotate responsibilities?
2. How have League members and community members responded to a dynamic leadership structure?
3. What strategies have worked to optimize coordination and collaboration within leadership teams?
4. What has worked for formal management issues, such as financial signature authority, officers’ insurance, and potential legal challenges?
5. How do you recommend transitioning individuals on to and off of the leadership team?
6. Did Clallum and Mason invent their team approach or did they draw upon models from other places? (Who else is doing this?)

Organizer: Susan Fiksdal (Thurston County)

Indian Nations' Federal Recognition Issues: Chinook Tribe

Treaties, laws and court actions have created a labyrinth regulating tribes, and compromising their independence and rights. Learn how the WA and OR Chinook tribe has been affected and their situation can be improved.

Organizer: Susan Fleming (Clark County)

Redistricting Reform Putting People First

Join members of the Redistricting Reform Task Force for a discussion of the new 2024 legislative map boundaries and the reform efforts that will reduce this type of churn for voters. A result of the Soto Palmer v Hobbs lawsuit, the new map creates a new District 14 with the intent of giving better opportunity for Latino voters to elect a candidate of their choice. The new map switches nearly half a million people to different legislative districts and displaces 5 current legislators. The League of Women Voters of Washington believes the uncertainty caused by this lawsuit illustrates the need to change our state’s redistricting process. We support a new kind of commission putting people first. A People First Redistricting Commission would minimize partisan influences and emphasize a consensus around what’s best for all communities. Come find out how you can help make this new commission a reality.

Organizer: Alison McCaffree (LWVWA)

Explore a Democracy Scorecard Project for Washington State

LWVME does The Maine Report Card that biannually assesses the democratic processes in Maine for their effectiveness, basing these evaluations on publicly available data.

We will discuss measures of democratic processes in WA and the relevance of measures used by Maine as well as how to include local Leagues in getting their input and feedback. We will also discuss the possibility of developing partnerships with other non-profits who focus on the effectiveness of democratic institutions.

Organizer: Linnea Hirst (LWVWA)

Civics Comes Alive!

Seattle King County shares information on Civics and You! (teaching modules now available on their website) and student-led forums/practice voting. Hear about the program, utilized fall 2023 with Inglemoor HS/SS teacher A. Baker.

Organizer: Barbara Tengtio (Seattle-King County)