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On April 17, 2025, The League of Women Voters declared that the United States is in a Constitutional Crisis. It shouldn't matter if you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent; if you care about the rule of law and democratic norms, your voice matters.
Find out more about this means and what you can do about it below.
Take Action to Protect Democracy |
What Is a Constitutional Crisis?
The League defines a Constitutional Crisis as:
- When the executive, the legislative, or judiciary branches cannot or will not adequately protect the US Constitution;
- When there are explicit attempts to dismantle a functional democracy within any of the three branches;
- Or when any level of federal government takes action to destroy democratic institutions in a manner that intentionally or purposefully jeopardizes the US Constitution.
When these events occur, the Constitution is deemed at the highest serious risk and warrants full-scale action to preserve and protect democratic institutions and civil society.
We Need to Act Collectively to Defend Democracy
Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, we’ve seen increased attacks on our democratic systems and a failure by Congress to intervene. We need a lot of different people taking action to fight for our democracy on different fronts—from the courts to the streets.
Taking action to defend democracy is NOT a one-size-fits all approach and there is a place for everyone who wants to protect democracy in this movement, regardless of party affiliation or political ideologies. We need to come together to successfully protect and preserve our democracy.
That’s why the League of Women Voters launched Unite and Rise 8.5. It’s an initiative to defend democracy by mobilizing 3.5% of US voters (8.5 million people), the estimated number of voters it would take to bring about change through nonviolent protest.
Get involved in the movement today! Start by committing to action by sign our commitment to Unite and Rise for democracy.
Commit to Unite and Rise
Participate in Rallies and Protests
The League believes that to protect and defend democracy, we must show up persistently—attending rallies and protests over and over again. Look for opportunities to show up for democracy in your community!
Prepare to Take Action
To protect and preserve democracy, actions need to be taken at the local, state, and national level—and in a variety of ways. Here is a brief breakdown to get you started. Find even more direction HERE.
Get Focused and Stay Informed
There is a lot happening right now, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and try to do too much. The first steps are to accept that one individual cannot tackle every problem. Choose one or two issues to focus your efforts on, you’ll be far more effective. And you don’t need to be an expert to be an effective grassroots activist, but you should be generally informed. Make sure to consume good information from credible news sources that consistently report facts accurately.
Ways to Take Action
Now that you are focused and informed, it’s time to start taking grassroots actions! This can be done in a number of ways:
- VOTE: It’s the most fundamental action you can take. Commit to voting in every election. 2026 IS an election year. REMEMBER: local elections are just as consequential as presidential and congressional races. They have incredible impacts on your community.
- Contact your elected officials: They work for you, regardless of who you voted for. Make sure they know what you think about the job they are doing.
- Attend government meetings—and speak up! Look for opportunities to attend public meetings and provide comment. A crowd of citizens attending a local government meeting can be very compelling.
- Attend protests: Attending pro-democracy rallies, marches, strikes, and sit-ins are an invaluable tactic for drawing attention to an issues, building community, and gathering more support.
- Boycotts: Use your power as a consumer to pressure companies or organizations to change their practices or policies.
- Leverage social media: Use your virtual voice to share information about issues you care about, encourage your friends to take action, and amplify information from credible sources (and make sure you are following trusted organizations, thought leaders, and credible news outlets). Social media is also a venue to reach out to your elected officials. But avoid trolling (making inflammatory and/or controversial comments).
- Write Letters to the Editor: Reach your community at large about issues that you care about.
- Join grassroots organizations: We are more powerful when we band together. The best organization for you will depend on several factors and you can join more than one organization! Learn more about organizations doing work in your community and get involved. We’d love to have you join the League.
Below are a number of ways that you can get involved at take action to strengthen and defend democracy. Check back often, as this list will continue to be updated.
Local Actions
- Check with your local League to find ways to take action in your community!
Statewide Actions
- Take action for critical bills during WA's legislative session. Subscribe to our Legislative Action Newsletter or find weekly actions on our action alert page.
Take Action - Hold your members of Congress accountable. Watch for Congressional recesses and other opportunities to tell your representatives what you think. Take a look at the schedule for the House and for the Senate—or check our town hall calendar.
National Actions
- Tell Congress Federal Immigration Enforcement Has Gone Too Far. Our Congressional officials have played a pivotal role in funding and enabling this government-manufactured crisis. They MUST act to stop it. Speak up now.
- Raise your voice about illegal deportations: Join mobilizations around immigrant rights and due process with organizations like the National Partnership for New Americans or United We Dream.
View All LWVUS Actions
Everyone in the United States, regardless of immigrant status, has certain rights under the U.S. Constitution.
Protesting
Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Check out this guide for protestors from the National Lawyers Guild.
If you choose to use your voice by protesting, please learn more about how you can be involved and stay safe.
Protesters have rights, make sure you know your rights!
In peaceful, nonviolent protests and mobilizations, you are organizing under the First Amendment to the US Constitution, guaranteeing freedom of speech, assembly, press, religion, and petition. However, you must adhere to state and local laws, so it is important to check regulations on curfew, permitting, blocking streets, etc. Often, there will be legal observers in bright yellow or orange vests at large protests. You can alert them if you need help.
Before making arrests, law enforcement might provide a dispersal order specifying that you must leave and give you space to do so. If you do not want to risk getting arrested, immediately comply with such a dispersal order. In the event you are arrested, do not resist. Listen to the rights that are read to you by the police. Do not speak to anyone. Phone calls are recorded. You can say: “I am choosing to remain silent and want to speak to an attorney.”
Check out this guide from the ACLU for taking pictures or videos at a protest.
If ICE agents appear, it is important to stay calm, do not run, and activate your safety plan. Do not answer questions about your immigration status. Additional “know your rights” resources from our partners at the National Partnership for New Americans can be found HERE.
Interacting with Federal Immigration Enforcement
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center provides Red Cards with examples of how people can exercise these rights. However, they do not provide individualized legal advice. Community members are encouraged to check in with a trusted legal service provider for questions about their situation. Find Red Cards in 50+ languages from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Other Resources
Find even more resources from LWV Kittitas County, as well as with these organizations:
- ALCU of Washington
- Immigrant Legal resource Center
- Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network
- Justice for Our Neighbors
- Catholic Immigration Legal Service
- Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Taking Action Within the LWV’s Nonpartisan Framework
The League is nonpartisan, not neutral. Remaining nonpartisan does not mean staying silent.
When democracy itself is under threat, voter access is restricted, or misinformation spreads, the League has a responsibility to speak out clearly and forcefully. Our nonpartisan commitment means the League acts based on our policies and principles, not because of—or out of allegiance to—any political party or candidates. For more information:
- Learn more about nonpartisanship with a short reel "What is Nonpartisanship?"
- Reading the LWVUS blog post "Staying True to Nonpartisanship in a Divisive Political Climate;"
- Watch Nonprofit VOTE's recent webinar on how to Stay Inside the Nonpartisan Lines (Find the accompanying slides HERE).
Are you a League Member?
We have even MORE resources and guidance to empower League members to engage and lead effective nonpartisan actions to empower voters and defend democracy. Find those resources below.