We all want our voting systems to be safe and secure.  

After all, voting is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans.

And when democracy is on the ballot, as it is now, safe elections are vital.

Unfortunately, a campaign underway in Washington state that proponents claim will keep elections safe is far from the truth.

Initiative Measure IL26-126 fails to live up to its promise of protecting our votes.  In fact, if passed, the measure—commonly known as I-126—would disenfranchise a significant number of persons legally eligible to vote.

It would require all voters in Washington to have an enhanced drivers’ license or provide, in person, documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. Voters who fail to do so would be removed from voting rolls.  

Besides being burdensome to eligible voters, the measure would be tremendously costly for counties to administer.

You may have encountered proponents of I-125 asking you to sign a petition to qualify it for the November 2026 ballot. They may have told you that signing the petition will keep noncitizens from voting.  Supporters have until Jan. 2, 2026, to turn in the signatures of about 309,000 voters to qualify the initiative.

The reality is, despite the claims of I-126 proponents, noncitizens are not voting.  Numerous studies, all of them scientifically solid, prove the claims are wrong.  Case in point is the Brennan Center for Justice’s finding of only 30 cases of suspected noncitizens voting out of 23.5 million votes in 2016—an incidence rate of 0.0001%. 

The real threat to election security is mis- and dis-information. Like the various claims made by proponents of I-126.

Protect your vote and decline to sign the petition to put it on the ballot. The League of Women Voters of Washington and a number of other pro-democracy groups oppose the initiative.  For more information about the Decline to Sign effort, click here.  

Flying flags, waving placards and chanting slogans are all part of the work to stand up to ongoing assaults on our democracy.  

And two weeks ago, during their Oct. 18 No Kings rally in Coupeville, members of the League of Women Voters of Whidbey Island added another element to their effort to support one another.  
 
Members of the Whidbey League also gathered 10 boxes of food and raised more than $800 in donations to benefit three island food banks.  

“Rallying, marching and speaking out against the abuses and threats to our democracy are important," said Whidbey League Co-President Judy Hucka. "But we can also show our love of our country by taking care of our own community. Collecting food for those who desperately need it is a direct and tangible thing we can do." 

League members carried buckets bearing QR codes to enable fellow marchers to donate directly to the food banks. 

Susan F. Martin, LWVWA Liaison to Redistricting Reform Task Force Portfolio Director

With growing concerns about the well-being of immigrants in the United States, the League of Women Voters of Washington is looking to secure national adoption of a new policy position affirming all residents—regardless of their immigration status or citizenship—should be treated with dignity and respect. 

National adoption of the position would extend the ability of League members throughout the country at all levels—local, state and national—to advocate for legislation and programming to improve the lives of immigrants. Those improvements include providing access to essential state-funded services, the opportunity to avail themselves of legal representation in court and immigration proceedings, and the opportunity to live and work in safety. 

On Saturday, state directors appointed Susan F. Martin to the state board to help facilitate national adoption of the position. Martin, a Georgetown University professor emerita, led the state League’s 18-month study titled “Welcoming Immigrants in Washington State,” which resulted in the state League’s adoption of the position at its convention in June in Vancouver, Washington.  

Study team members, consisting of League members from through the state, used both quantitative and qualitative analysis; completed an extensive literature review; surveyed local Leagues, state legislation and case law related to immigration; and interviewed 25 subject-matter experts.   

The national League adopted a policy on immigration in 2008 that supports admission policies that are in the national interest as well as protection of immigrants’ rights, regardless of their status. 

The provisions of the new Washington state policy pick up where the national position left off, Martin said.  It does so with its attention to laws, policies and programs that concern immigrants once they reside in the United States. 

Martin previously served as the executive director of the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, which advised the president and Congress on U.S. immigration and refugee policy.  She also has authored or edited more than a dozen books and numerous articles and book chapters based on extensive field research as well as her experiences working in government.  

Martin serves as a co-president of the LWV San Juans.  

In her new role on the state board Martin will also serve as the liaison to the state League’s redistricting task force. That task force seeks reform that by 2031 would result in an updated redistricting commission, ongoing staff and technical support, process transparency, clearly defined rank criteria, an inclusive process for public input and language accessibility.  

The LWVWA last secured national concurrence of a position in 2024, when the LWVUS adopted its position on Local News & Democracy.

Against a backdrop in which companies, universities and others are pulling back from support for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the League of Women Voters of Washington is stepping up its efforts.   

Earlier this month, the LWVWA board of directors adopted a new long-term initiative to support democracy and guarantee consideration of underrepresented communities in its work at both the state and local League levels. 

The decision to launch the new initiative does not mean DEI is a new development for the League, LWVWA President Karen Crowley emphasized. National League by laws feature a DEI policy to which the LWVWA is “fully committed, both in principle and in practice,” Crowley said. 

But new pressure on organizations, companies and universities to delete DEI policies and dismiss concerns about inequality have prompted many people to become unsure of their rights and their place in the United States, she said. 

LWVWA director Sasha Bentley, a co-director of the initiative with director Roberta Soltz, said, “Our goal is to listen to and learn from people whose voices aren’t usually heard in elections or in civic life.” 

The second goal is to bring more people into the fold. “Because once we do the work to become a place where anyone can go to learn, engage, and lead in elections and civic life, people will join us. And we will share power and leadership and center collaboration.” 

Bentley has 17 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate operations and human resources with the last seven focused on social justice and systems change. “The League has always stood for informed participation and fairness. Those principles don’t change with the political winds. What’s being called ‘DEI’ is, at its core, about ensuring equal voice and access.”  

Furthermore, standing firm in a commitment to equal voice and access isn’t partisan, Bentley said. “It’s patriotic.” 

LWVWA director Soltz, a biologist by training, said it is difficult to pinpoint the degree to which underrepresented groups are absent from participatory government in Washington. But, while the state’s racial diversity is increasing, she said a change is not necessarily being seen in those being elected to political office.   

The League, too, Soltz said, has tended to attract retired, enthusiastic white women, a “monoculture” of sort.   

“Just as variation is the heart of natural selection, embracing cultural, social and physical diversity will strengthen democracy and improve our resilience to a rapidly changing world.”  

Crowley offered this observation: “The ultimate intention of all DEI efforts is to create a culture and society where all voices are valued, respected, invited, and included.  

“Democracy is, at its core, a governing structure that creates true power and agency for all those living within its borders,” she said. 

Beth Pellicciotti, LWVWA Nominations Committee

By Beth Pellicciotti, Nominations Committee, LWV of Washington and LWV of Spokane Area member

Why is the work of the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of Washington so important? 

That’s a timely question as League members throughout the state consider applying for six positions on the 12-member board before the Jan. 5, 2026, deadline.    

More information about service on the state board of directors—and about nominating another member to serve—is available here.    

While it’s well known that state League directors are laser focused on defending democracy with their support for advocacy and their education work, members of the state board have another function, one that doesn’t often garner as much attention.    

The fact is, beyond supporting advocacy and other education efforts, state board members also work to support the efforts of local Leagues, particularly around voter and civic education for young people and adults.    

In Washington, League membership now hovers around 2,800 individuals in 19 chapters, which are referred to in the organization as local Leagues. Each local League operates with its own leadership, some in the form of a president along with officers and other directors, some with co-presidents, and some with a leadership board with shared duties. The LWVWA also has groups of individual League members in so-called Units-at-Large, who, in time, state leadership hopes to develop into active locals Leagues.  

These local Leagues are connectors, organizations whose members understand first hand the people and groups in their own communities—and are committed to serving them.  

As connectors, local Leagues play a vital role in the defense of democracy by providing community members with civic engagement opportunities. Those opportunities include registering voters, teaching community members to provide feedback to elected officials about public policies, and hosting nonpartisan forums for candidates for public office. 

Recent research by the National Civic League states the importance of an active, civics-focused nonprofit organization—like the League of Women Voters—in one’s community. 

It’s vital, in fact, for democracy to work, according to researchers for the National Civic League.  

“What makes democracy work? Beyond voting and electoral processes, civic infrastructure encompasses a network of organizations that provide everyday people with opportunities to engage, lead, and act together,” the organization reported in Civic Opportunity in America and What the Data Reveal about Democracy's Hidden Infrastructure. 

Distributing civic education grants, designed to encourage innovative ways to support community civic engagement, is one specific way the state board supports local League work.  During the next two years, the LWVWA seeks to distribute $24,000 in civic education grants, with individual local Leagues receiving up to $2,000.   

Over recent years, LWVWA Civics Education grants have made possible a public forum on how presidential primaries differ from other primaries, have funded technology to extend League programs into rural communities, and covered the costs of distributing the League’s award-winning civics textbook, The State We’re In: Washington, to local schools. 

Other LWVWA Civics Education grants have supported local Leagues throughout the state. 

For example, a civics education grant makes it possible for the Snohomish League to distribute voter information widely to more than 130 locations, including libraries, schools, community centers, municipal offices, and businesses. The materials are produced by the League, Snohomish County Elections, and the Washington Office of the Secretary of State.  

Also using a grant, the Clallam League helped Sequim High School start its Mock Trial Team, where students learned about the right to a jury trial, the role of the judicial branch in relation to the other branches of government, and the components of a trial.  League members served as jurors. 

Meanwhile, also supported by civics education funding, the Spokane League has been busy and effective with youth in area high schools, sponsoring a Jeopardy-like Civics Bowl.  Local League members prepared more than 600 questions for the competition and local KSPS-PBS television staff developed the script and produced the broadcast. 

From its inception in 1920, the League has focused on empowering voters and speaking out on public policy.   

In addition to providing civics education grants, the LWVWA Board supports and guides local League members who conduct research and prepare studies on statewide public policies issues.  These studies provide the rationale for creating League positions on public policies. 

A recent study focused on the demise of local news and the impact of that demise on democracy.  From that study the LWVWA adopted a policy position, which it has been used to pursue legislative advocacy to help rebuild local news in Washington. 

Closer to home, a local League responded to that study and adopted policy position by assembling an observer corps of League members in rural areas.  Those observers attend local board and commission meetings and report on the meetings to the area’s one remaining newspaper. 

Michael Bowman, who serves as Civic Engagement Specialist in Rural Communities with the Washington Office of the Secretary of State, offered a perspective about the League’s impact in communities.   

“In my work, I get to be embedded in an organization for a little bit.  I get to recognize other communities’ organizations and see these organizations’ amazing work.  The League combines the knowledge and ability to dig deeper at the local level.”  

Bowman said state board service provides members of an organization like the League real value. “You get a vantage point, learning lots of different strategies used in local Leagues.”   

Editor’s note: Local Leagues throughout Washington have volunteers who serve as election observers. As the Nov. 4 election nears, we take a look at one program in Clark County. 

Edri Geiger, LWV of Clark County Election Observers Committee Chair

By Kathryn Hobbie, Board of Directors, LWV of Clark County

How safe and fair are U.S. elections? While that’s a hot-button topic these days, anyone who’s been an election observer can assure you that the process is very safe indeed.  

“Some doubters are amazed when they see how secure our elections are,” Edri Geiger, chair of the Election Observers Committee of the League of Women Voters of Clark County, said during a recent interview. 

Our country is highly decentralized when it comes to how elections are run; the process varies widely across states and counties. Paid elections staff are in charge of collecting, organizing, and counting ballots, but volunteer observers often play a critical role.  

In Clark County, the two major political parties can send in observers trained and certified by the Clark County Elections Office. The same is true for nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations like the League of Women Voters. 

Observers from the political parties are present to ensure their candidates are not disadvantaged. “We nonpartisan observers, on the other hand, have no stake in the outcome,” Geiger said. “We are concerned with voter access and security.” 

All observers follow strict rules: watch without interfering, stash your cell phone, don’t talk to anyone except designated staff, don’t share any results or trends you may see, and report any problems you observe to election officials.  

Even mail-in voting presents opportunities for observing, from ballot box pickups to signature verification to problem resolution (for example, someone checks more than one candidate).  

Certification training for observers is held on three specific dates through the year, and takes about an hour and a half. “Trainees get an overview of the process, learn what their obligations are, and tour the facility,” Geiger said.  

Once certified, the League’s observers can sign up for as many shifts as they wish (most shifts run two hours). Afterward, Geiger’s observers send her a report. 
 
The elections office opens to observers as soon as ballots start to arrive in the mail or ballot boxes. The work typically spans about 10 days, but can run longer in a major election.  

LWV Clark County has a robust election observer program. “We have 43 people certified currently,” Geiger said.  

Larger counties like King and Pierce also have established programs. In recent years, said Mary Coltrane, former LWVWA president, many Leagues in our state have developed new election observer programs or beefed up existing ones in response to the declining trust in election processes. 

Clark County has a committed pool of observers, but “we would love to have even more,” Geiger said. “We prefer to have two observers for each shift, and it’s essential for the League, as a trusted voice in our community, to cover as many shifts as possible.”  

Nearly anyone can be an election observer; no special skill is required. Geiger’s team has included volunteers in wheelchairs or with impaired vision or hearing.  

In addition to monitoring elections, Geiger’s observers have suggested ways to make the process easier and more efficient. The Clark County Elections Office recently finished a major renovation and expansion that incudes some of those suggestions.  

“In Clark County, we’ve had the opportunity to gain people’s trust,” Geiger said. “Observing is critical to the safety of elections, and will be more and more so in our current political climate. There are those who are trying to damage the voting process, and voter access is one of the underpinnings of the League of Women Voters. 

“We believe everyone who can vote should vote,” she said. “Safe elections are essential for democracy, and we are working to show people that their vote is important and will count.” 

By Kathryn Hobbie, Board of Directors, LWV of Clark County

The big national elections are the ones that really matter … right? Many Americans feel that way. But the fact is, an off-year election may have an even bigger impact on your day-to-day life—and your vote can have a bigger impact on the outcome. 

 Before we get into why that’s so, a note about the timing of your vote: “The earlier the better this year,” Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey told the League. The U.S. Postal Service no longer guarantees a same-day postmark on your ballot. Kimsey highly recommends getting it in the mail a week before Election Day (or using a ballot drop box instead). 

This year’s election Nov. 4 is packed with mayoral, city council, school board and other important races. You’ll also have the chance to pass or reject proposals to address police staffing in Vancouver and add to fire crews in Camas-Washougal. 

 In addition, 35 candidates are running for 15 seats on the Charter Review Commission. This commission will be looking at areas such as county manager oversight, redistricting, balancing the budget, the number and pay of councilors, and easing the rules for getting a citizen initiative on the ballot.  

Sadly, voter turnout for off-year elections is far lower than for the big national ones. In November 2024, 80.6% of Clark County registered voters turned out, while the previous November, just 26.7% did. With turnout that low, a few hundred votes in the “no” column can make the difference (as it did in Battle Ground) between adequate school funding and millions of dollars in teacher and program cuts. 

“This year’s ballot has issues that affect you personally and directly,” Kimsey says. “The more people who participate, the better our democratic system of government works.”

“But I don’t know enough about the issues” is a common excuse for not voting. Where can you go for unbiased election information? 

• Start with the Voters' Pamphlet, which you also should have received in the mail. It's online at clark.wa.gov
  
  
• Read The Columbian for candidate interviews, background on the issues, and reader perspectives. 
  
  
• Don't rely on a single online source of information. Read widely, and be cognizant of where the information is coming from. Is the source legitimate and unbiased?
  
  
• Watch candidate forums. These are a cornerstone of our work at the League of Women Voters, an opportunity to assess the candidates in person. We held four candidate forums this election season, and you can view them all at CVTV.org
  
  
• Go to the League's VOTE411.org to see how candidates have answered our questions. 
  
  
• If you haven't registered to vote, there is still time! The deadline is Oct. 27 to register online (clark.wa.gov/elections) or by mail, but in-person you can register up until 8 pm on election day at the Clark County elections office in Vancouver. 

We hope we’ve convinced you that your participation matters in EVERY election. In a close one, yours could be the deciding vote! 

Kathryn Hobbie serves as a member of the board of directors of Clark County League and a member of its Communications Committee and the state Local News and Democracy team. She began her career as a journalist in New Jersey before switching to freelance writing for nonprofit clients around the country in healthcare, education and the arts. She also has taught writing workshops for several clients including the Veterans’ Administration.

Editor’s note: Seattle King County League President Barbara Tengtio wrote this essay in response to a challenge by a media outlet that questioned how the League can assert its nonpartisanship while our leaders and members speak out against the administration in Washington, D.C. 

By Barbara Tengtio, President, LWV of Seattle King County

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to promote the informed and active participation of citizens in government. Our mission is to empower voters and defend democracy. 

At our core, nonpartisanship is not just a policy—it’s a bedrock principle that defines who we are at the League of Women Voters. As a membership organization committed to empowering voters and defending democracy, we do not support or oppose political parties or candidates. Our focus has always been, and will continue to be, on the issues that matter to our communities: ensuring fair elections, protecting voting rights, and strengthening our democratic institutions.  

Our foundational principle of nonpartisanship states that “The League shall not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.” Nonpartisan does not mean non-political; issues are not partisan. The League is and has always been a political organization, advocating for equitable voting access for all and working on vital issues of concern to our members and the public.  

The League’s advocacy work is issues based, and we arrive at our policy positions through careful study and input from our members. We never derive our positions from politicians, and even when candidates or parties support the same issue, we never endorse them. You can find League's positions HERE. 

We provide voters with information on where candidates stand on key issues, host nonpartisan forums, and work to ensure every eligible voter has access to the ballot. Our goal is to empower voters with facts, not to tell them who to vote for.   

Once individuals are elected, they are no longer just candidates—they are public servants, responsible for representing all their constituents, regardless of party. Holding elected officials accountable to the public interest is not a partisan act; it is a vital function of a healthy democracy. When we advocate for or against policies based on our mission and values, we are doing so from our commitment to issues and strengthening civil institutions—not out of allegiance to any political party.  

In essence, we are pushing for action on voting rights, democracy protection, and other key areas, without favor or bias.  

Remaining nonpartisan does not mean staying silent. When democracy itself is under threat, when voter access is restricted, or when misinformation spreads, we have a responsibility to speak out—clearly and forcefully.  

For over 100 years, the League of Women Voters has worked to empower voters and defend democracy. We continue to envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.

LWVWA President Karen Crowley

“Thrilled and heartened” is how LWVWA Karen Crowley’s described her feelings last week following Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs’ decision to decline a federal Department of Justice request for protected voter registration information.

“We applaud Secretary Hobbs’ very reasonable decision,” said Crowley. “The secretary asked significant and appropriate questions, and we appreciate his strong response.”

A week ago, Crowley wrote Hobbs and requested that the secretary decline the request that Washington received from Justice for statewide voter registration fields.

Crowley said the request was based on League positions that procedures should provide the voter with a maximum of convenience, simplicity and efficiency “while ensuring that the requirements of secrecy, accuracy and impartiality are maintained," said Crowley.

“In our opinion,” Crowley wrote, “the request from the Department of Justice is an unwarranted intrusion into individual voter records and violates Washington state voter protections.”

In early September, Washington was one of two to three dozen states from which the DOJ asked for statewide voter registration files.  

The requested files included driver’s license numbers, full dates of birth and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, all information considered to be private. Justice officials confirmed they intended to share the information they received with the federal Department of Homeland Security, ostensibly to aid in that department’s immigration crack-down.

Meanwhile, in late September, the League of Women Voters of the United States, along with the state Leagues in Virginia and Louisiana and others filed a class action against the Trump administration’s creation of a massive database of information that the League and others believe federal officials will use to illegally open investigations and purge voter rolls.

Back in Washington state, Hobbs wrote, “As the chief elections officer of the state,I take very seriously the responsibility to safeguard highly personal voter information protected from disclosure under both Washington and federal law.”

He said the request “raises serious legal and privacy concerns.”

Hobbs’ letter also questioned Justice’s claims that various citations it identified do truly authorize the release of the private details.

In the past month, Justice has sued at least six states that have declined to provide the entirety of the information requested.

Hobbs closed by providing a link where Justice officials could request a copy of the information that has been determined to be public and appropriate to share.

By Dee Anne Finken, Local News & Democracy and Communications Portfollio Director, LWV Washington

Are new citizens getting the help they need to register?

Washington state and U.S. League leadership adamantly opposes the new federal ban announced last month that prohibits nonprofit organizations from registering naturalized citizens to vote under certain circumstances.

The prohibition issued late last month shuts the door for League members who have helped with the registration process for decades.

This development also raises questions about whether new citizens are being provided the tools they need to register to vote.

Providing voter registration forms has been a required step in the ceremonies. 

However, Spokane League member Sally Phillips, who has registered new citizens at naturalization ceremonies for at least 10 years, attended a ceremony Friday and confirmed voter registration forms were not included in the packet given to the new citizens.

She previously received an email from an official from the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services indicating that agency personnel will simply direct participants to approved government websites or facilities.

The announcement from USCIS, issued Aug. 29, prohibits nongovernmental organizations and agencies from participating in ceremonies conducted by USCIS personnel.

“USCIS aims to make administrative naturalization ceremonies positive and memorable moments in the lives of the participants,” the memo read. Going forward, that means only state or local election officials or USCIS staff will offer voter registration at the close of the ceremonies.

News outlets across the country have picked up LWVUS CEO Celina Stewart’s statement calling the move "an attempt to keep new citizens from accessing their full rights."

Stewart noted: "For decades, the League of Women Voters has been a trusted partner of both USCIS and federal courts to register new voters at naturalization ceremonies. This work has resulted in hundreds of thousands of new citizens registering to vote with League volunteers across the country."

Susan Martin, League president in San Juan County and a national expert on immigration, explained that USCIS and its predecessor, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, were authorized to administer the oath of allegiance to the United States in 1990, with the policy going into effect the following year. The move was designed to ease the backlog in the courts, which was leading to delays in naturalization ceremonies, she said.

But Martin explained many judges consider overseeing naturalization ceremonies one of the most joyful aspects of their work.  That, she said, is why judges retained their ability to invoke exclusive authority to administer the oath to persons residing within their jurisdiction.

Consequently, not all League members in Washington will lose the opportunity to register some newly naturalized citizens.

East of the Cascades, in counties of the United States Eastern District Court district, federal judges who conduct naturalization ceremonies continue to welcome League assistance, said Phillips of Spokane.

Phillips said about three dozen Spokane League members currently assist with registration duties in the federal courthouses.

All of the ceremonies presided over by the judges are touching, but some are even more so, she said.

“I remember the magistrate judge who first invited the League to help. He was talking to the new candidates for citizenship and he emphasized they could participate as citizens in a number of ways, including by voting and helping candidates run for office.

“He emphasized the richness of our country comes from the backgrounds these new citizens bring and their cultures.  And how they should hold onto their culture because they enrich our country that way.”

Phillips said last week that federal immigration officials told her by email, effective the end of September, that the League would no longer be notified of upcoming naturalization ceremonies officiated by USCIS staff.

However, the dates may be posted by the court. If so, League members in Spokane will continue to be present at the courthouse to answer questions and provide voter registration forms following the ceremony.

Barb Tengtio, president in Seattle King County League and who oversees voter registration there, said the USCIS Aug. 29 memo was short – but not necessarily sweet – and to the point.

“Basically, they told us, ‘Thanks very much. But we no longer need the League’s services,’” Tengtio said.

At the USCIS facility in King County, in a mammoth building in Tukwila, League members were registering about 850 new citizens a year, averaging two to four days a month, said Tengtio.

Nancy Iannucci, a Seattle member who has been registering new voters since 2018, described the joy of registered newly naturalized citizens.

“It is such a heart-warming ceremony,” she said. “It’s the end of their journey trying to become citizens but also the beginning of their journey as new citizens.”

Seattle League member Mary Figel, who has registered newly naturalized citizens alongside of Iannucci, agrees. “It is so thrilling to hear where these people are from, what they weren’t able to do.”

Receiving the right to vote is a powerful reminder of the responsibility and privilege that comes with citizenship. There is no better way to welcome a new citizen. The League will fight to make sure this right is given as required.