by Lunell Haught, LWVWA President
The League of Women Voters of Washington and Fix Democracy First are teaming up again for Democracy Lobby Week and other advocacy events during the 2023 Legislative Session. The groups have a long history of partnership, share common interests, work well together, and have adapted from an in-person lobby day on the Hill to a virtual format that lasts an entire week. Learn a little bit more about what to expect from Democracy Lobby Week and how we work together.
The League has thirteen issue chairs who lead research and recommend bills to the lobby agenda. Issue chairs rely on analysis from the League's fourteen coalition partners. The League also has a contract lobbyist who helps guide our strategy so that we can accomplish goals on both democracy issues and other issues that members care about.
Before we advocate for a bill or respond to a support request, we must answer two very important questions:
- Does the League have a position on the issue. LWVWA positions are found in the Program in Action, revised every two years based on events and decisions during that time. We also use positions from LWVUS to support our advocacy work.
- How will the bill affect communities of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, religious minorities, and others? We are fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice, which means that we must consider the impacts of a bill on all individuals, households, and communities.
Lobby week is virtual, though Fix Democracy First and the League members once gathered in Olympia. While this is for several reasons, chief among them is that our citizen lobbyists have outgrown the convenient spaces available! Other organizations still visit in person, and almost every day a (smaller) group is on the Capitol campus. It is fun and a real show of interest and commitment, but there just isn’t enough room now. This change also accommodates more schedules—both legislators' and members'. Citizen lobbyists start together on the first day and then meet with legislators, throughout the week, as is convenient, and come together in the evenings to learn (and celebrate the work).
Although League and Fix Democracy First members don't show up in force, this new, less visible lobbying is just as impactful. A recent survey of the public described the League of Women Voters of Washington as knowledgeable, active, nonpartisan, and a group working towards fairness and equality on voting and civil rights. That's a reputation to keep, and each member contributes to it.
It is an enormous job to orchestrate individual meetings for the almost 200 registered for Democracy Lobby Week. Ensuring the right people are with the right legislators at the right time with the right message is huge. Hats off to the planning team of Portfolio Directors Susan Fleming and Susan Daniel, Ann Murphy, Cindy Madigan, Carol Sullivan, and Fix Democracy First's Cindy Black, as well as local League action chairs and presidents. They are part of the team who make the League's reputation so strong.
