With the 2024 legislative session set to begin on January 8, the League of Women Voters of Washington has announced our Board-adopted legislative priorities for this year. Our Lobby Team will use these priorities to ensure that their advocacy work aligns with our commitment to justice, fairness, and civic engagement. 

You can get updates on our progress on each of these issues in our weekly Legislative Action Newsletters. Watch for the first 2024 issue on Sunday, January 14, and weekly through the end of the legislative session on March 7, with a final closeout newsletter a couple of weeks later.  

Subscribe to the Legislative Action Newsletter here.

The LWVWA's advocacy work is broken up into three areas—Making Democracy Work®, the Environment, and Social and Economic Policy—and includes 16 separate issues. You can find a brief explanation of our aims in each area below. More in-depth information about each issue can be found here.

Making Democracy Work® 

Elections and Money in Politics
Support changes in the electoral system that streamline process while protecting the integrity of records and ballots as well as limitations on the influence of money in election outcomes. 

Redistricting
Support redistricting reform by 2031 that includes an updated commission, ongoing staff and technical support, process transparency, clearly defined rank criteria, an inclusive process for public input, and language accessibility. 

Education
Ensure the school funding model is ample to meet the education needs of today, including those of students with special needs; ensure that state academic standards are sustained in local districts; and ensure that equitable education is available for all students. 

Local News and Democracy
Support efforts to ensure conditions are such that ethical local journalism survives and thrives. 

Environment 

Climate Crisis & Energy
Support measures that address the climate crisis and create clean and renewable energy sources as well as opportunities to enhance climate and environmental justice. 

Forests
Support measures that protect and restore mature and old-growth forests, reform the adaptive management program and enhance community resilience to wildfire. 

Growth Management
Assure that land use decisions protect resource lands, forests, shorelines, rural areas and agriculture, and also enhance climate resilience. 

Waste Diversion
Divert waste from disposal through reuse, reduction, recycling through a variety of methods including producer responsibility and product stewardship policies with special attention to packaging, plastics, batteries and digital electronic products. 

Transportation
Achieve balanced and efficient systems, prioritizing those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion. 

Social and Economic Policy 

Housing & Homelessness
Ensure affordable housing for all and that new housing development is transit-oriented and contains environmental justice provisions. 

Health Care
Support interim measures needed to progress toward Universal Healthcare funded by a single payer system for Washington State. Also support increasing the healthcare workforce capacity and improvements in system regulation. 

Behavioral Health
Support increased funding for behavioral health services and behavioral health workforce development. 

Children’s Issues
Ensure policies that provide for the safety and well-being of all children as well as access to opportunities to develop their full potential. 

Early Care and Education
Promote the availability of safe, culturally appropriate early care and education services that support the development of young children, economic vitality for families and businesses, and living wages and training for early care and education workers. 

Criminal Justice
Advocate for a criminal justice system that is just, effective, equitable and transparent, including sentencing reform, restrictions on use of solitary confinement, police accountability and recognition that mental health conditions and substance use disorders are health issues, not crimes. 

Revenue
Promote a flexible, equitable tax structure that provides robust support for all government obligations and is based on sound economic policy, including measures that will support savings in government costs to do business.