It’s almost time to “Reconnect, Restore, and Renew” with League members across the state at the LWVWA 2022 Council in Everett, June 10-12. It’s too late to register but the following are some important reminders: 

• Don’t forget to download council documents and print out beforehand or bring your laptop so you have them handy. The League will be saving paper and the environment by not providing paper copies. 

• Proof of vaccination and booster are required for all attendees. If you did not upload a photo of your vaccine card when you registered, you can download a PDF from the Washington State Department of Health or show us a photo of your card on-site at registration. 

• Bring your own thermos and/or water bottle, as the League is conserving resources by not providing single-use bottled water. There will be a water/coffee/tea station. 

• It is not necessary to bring your own mask, as the League will be providing providing facemasks with clear panels on front (check them out) to all attendees to facilitate communication for our hard-of-hearing attendees (as well as captioning as much as possible on the projection screen). A state Board member (Jayne Freitag) who is a nurse has provided extensive advice on how to hold a safe in-person event. The physical space will be arranged so that people are not too close to each other. We will also ask each attendee to put either a red, yellow, or green dot on their name badge to indicate their level of comfort with physical interaction.

• You can still investigate public transportation.  

• Get ready to have fun with your League sisters and brothers! 

The LWVWA’s “Be a Voter” campaign was selected as a finalist for the LWV of the US Powering Democracy Award, which will be announced on June 26 at the national convention. The Powering Democracy Award recognizes state and local Leagues for their exemplary work over the past biennium. The award’s theme was inspired by the national League’s Women Power Democracy campaign, and ideal submissions support the Women Power Democracy goals and/or the goals of the Campaign for Making Democracy Work and the League’s Strategic Framework. All winners will receive a cash prize from the LWVUS in recognition of their excellent work over the past biennium. 

The Be a Voter Campaign is a voter outreach project highlighting local Leagues working together with the state League, statewide outreach, materials in Spanish, a social media campaign, and a partnership with a major newspaper, The Spokesman-Review. The Be a Voter Campaign is  a research-based project providing a broad suite of tools for local Leagues to use across Washington state. With uniform messaging, an accompanying Be a Voter graphic, and the LWVWA logo on voter outreach tools, local Leagues achieved messaging synergies across a statewide audience. 

The LWVWA worked with local Leagues to develop voter outreach tools and graphics that local Leagues could download from the state website. The state League encouraged members to use these tools to help spread the word. The tools include full- and half-page printer-friendly flyers and bookmarks, and some voter education materials are also in Spanish, such as a flyer promoting VOTE411.  

The Be a Voter social media campaign, which was active leading up to the 2021 election, featured 33 mis- and disinformation info bites—short factoids regarding elections in Washington state. The state League also worked with local Leagues to develop a toolkit with the social media info bites for local Leagues to use. To prepare the 33 factoids of mis-disinformation for the social media campaign, the League asked our Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) to share the major questions that voters had brought up during the 2020 election. State League volunteers organized these queries and drafted responses, and the OSOS reviewed the questions to ensure accuracy. 

The mis- and disinformation factoids were featured in the Your Vote publication, a “tabloid” that was produced in partnership with The Spokesman-Review, the major newspaper in Spokane, Washington, and most of Eastern Washington. Your Vote, which also included selected voter information articles, was made available to the public in a PDF format in Spanish and English.  

The Your Vote materials are available to download from the LWV of Washington website on the Voter Tools page (no login required); the Be a Voter Toolkit is available in the For Members section of the LWVWA website (login required). 

League Actions Around the Country 

The LWV of Kansas and various partners appealed a lawsuit challenging anti-voter laws passed in 2021. The laws include vote-disqualifying signature requirements and a delivery assistance ban that would disproportionately impact voters with disabilities or who live in rural areas or on tribal land. 

The LWV of Arizona was victorious when that state's Supreme Court dismissed an Arizona Republican Party petition that attempted to end all early voting. The LWV of Arizona had filed an amicus brief challenging the petition in March. 

The LWV of Florida joined partners in filing a lawsuit against Florida's new congressional map, citing both racial and partisan gerrymandering. The League and other plaintiffs argue that the congressional map, insisted upon by Governor Ron DeSantis and approved by the state legislature, was not drawn in compliance with the current laws governing redistricting in Florida. 

The LWV of New York state filed an amicus brief challenging the redistricting maps drawn by its legislature after the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission failed to submit a second set of maps as required by a 2014 amendment. 

Action Alerts 

Tell Your Representatives That You Want Equality to Be Part of the Constitution 

Tell Your Senators to Support the Equal Rights Amendment 

By Mary Coltrane, 1st Vice President, LWV of Washington 

The LWVWA Voter Services Committee has been focusing on candidate forums and debates, with local Leagues gearing up for an important voter services season. With such major concerns as mis- and disinformation and hyper-partisanship, there’s much to do. If you would like to get involved, please let your local League know. There are many voter services jobs: tabling events, forums and debates, and the League’s online voter guide, VOTE411, are just some of the voter services the League works on. Here’s a roundup of what’s happening in voter services in the state League to give you a sense of the work we do.  

The Voter Services Committee will next meet Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. Committee members will be sent the Zoom link and agenda closer to the meeting time. If you would like to attend as a guest, send an email to Mary Coltrane to be put on the list. 

Candidate Forums and Debates Workshops. I hope everyone who wanted to attend the Candidate Forums and Debates workshop on April 23 had a chance to do so. The recording and PowerPoint of the meeting will be placed on the state League website as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can access link to the recording and PowerPoint from the first workshop (scroll down to Voter Services). 

VOTE411 Questions. Cynthia Stewart is the go-to person for questions about VOTE411. She would like to hear from each League—in whatever manner works best for your League—regarding questions from your community to go into VOTE411. Please contact Cynthia and let her know if there is someone from your League she can work with directly: 

As for the last few years, I have agreed to coordinate local League questions for candidates that will go into Vote411 for this year’s election. Although filing for office is still nearly a month away, we can anticipate much of what will be relevant to the offices on the ballot this year. All House of Representatives positions will be on the ballot as well as half of the Senate positions. There will be congressional races as well and some local races (that differs by jurisdiction). 

So my request to you is to please let me know who in your League will be compiling the Vote411 questions, and that person’s email address. It may be you, it may be your Action Chair or it may be someone else.  I will let them know what our deadline is when I can verify it and send some guidelines for crafting the questions.  

If you want more information about how to help out with these kinds of voter services activities, please let me, Mary Coltrane, know!

In Washington state, the League of Women Voters has had a long-standing Membership Engagement and Leadership Development (MELD) program. This program is a conduit for communication among all levels of the League, local, state, and national. MELD meetings are where local Leagues can share their successes and challenges and receive information about programs and resources from state, national, and local Leagues. Along with TMIL (This Month in the League), The Voter, and affinity groups, MELD meetings allow League members to stay connected to programs and resources that benefit local Leagues. 

The local League members from across the state who are in a MELD meeting, along with a facilitator and a Board representative, are called a pod. The four pod facilitators manage each group, meeting virtually via Zoom once a month with representatives from four or five local Leagues and the state Board. The Board member provides updates, answers questions, listens to members’ concerns and thoughts, and then takes the comments and suggestions back to the Board. 

The LWV of Washington is currently seeking pod facilitators, a position that involves about five hours a month. This includes the 60-minute Zoom meeting with your assigned pod each month and writing a short report. The facilitators also meet once a month for an hour. The pod facilitator is considered a leadership position, requiring good listening and communication skills and the ability to manage a group discussion. You don’t have to be expert in anything other than listening and facilitating a group discussion.  

If you’re interesting in being a pod facilitator, contact Linda Benson for more information. 

By Cynthia Stewart, Revenue & Budget Issue Chair, LWV of Washington 

In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed the capital gains tax, a 7% excise tax on the sale of capital gains exceeding $250,000. This has been likened to a real estate excise tax paid on property when it is sold. It was estimated that the tax would generate nearly $1 billion per year and would affect only about 0.2% of Washington’s population because of various exemptions from the tax—such as sales of residences, retirement funds, and more—that protect less wealthy people.  

The first $500 million of revenue from the tax is dedicated to the state Education Legacy Trust Account, which can only be used for education (supporting common schools, expanding access to higher education through funding for new enrollments and financial aid, early learning and child care programs, and other educational improvement efforts). The remainder would be deposited into the Common School Construction Fund. 

In March of this year, Initiative 1929 was filed to repeal this tax, calling it an income tax. If it receives enough signatures, it will go on the ballot in November and, if approved by the voters, would repeal the capital gains tax. However, Washington state needs new revenue to cover the costs of many as yet un- and underfunded needs. The League of Women Voters supported the capital gains tax as one of several ways to generate more revenue while making our currently unfair tax structure more fair. Right now, people with fewer means and income pay far more of their income in state and local taxes than people with higher incomes. The capital gains tax would affect only the most wealthy in the state. 

At its April meeting, the LWVWA Board approved the League’s participation in the “Decline to Sign I-1929” campaign urging voters not to sign I-1929, with the intention of keeping it off the ballot. League members are encouraged to tell friends, family, social media contacts, and others not sign this initiative and to join with other organizations as they campaign to keep this off the ballot. 

For more information, refer to this fact sheet produced by the Washington State Budget and Policy Center. And please, Decline to Sign. 

“Good Citizen” posters are now available in both Spanish and English and will be on sale at the LWVWA 2022 Council in June. If you order in advance and pick them up, the cost is $1.75 each. If you want them mailed to you, the cost is $5 for one or $10 for up to four copies. So if you want multiple copies, please order anytime and they will be ready for you to pick up at the council. One League ordered 55 of each and are giving them to every school in their district! Ordering in advance is a good idea, if possible. To order in advance, contact Karen Verrill or order through the LWVWA website. 

On April 23 from 1-3 p.m. the LWV of Thurston County hosted a Civics Education Fair at the state Capitol in Olympia. The League had received a permit to set up tables and displays along the north steps of the Legislative Building, the grand entrance to the Capitol, and they placed banners indicating that this was an activity sponsored by the League of Women Voters. On display were copies of both editions of the LWVWA civics textbook, The State We’re In: Washington, along with the poster “What It Takes to Be a Good Citizen” in English and in Spanish. The author of the textbook, Jill Severn, was in attendance as the League featured her essay “Why Study Civics?” The League worked with Leo O’Leary, the Civic Education Director for the Washington State House, and his colleague in the state Senate, Louis Lindstrom, to have information and displays concerning the House and Senate page programs, the Legislative Internship, and the Legislative Scholar Program for teachers. The League made several contacts with the lieutenant governor’s office to provide information on the Legislative Youth Advisory Council, which is accepting applications until May 15 for the 2023-2024 term. Although they were unable to attend, the League also provided information on how to apply for the council. 

Other activities that were available included a scavenger hunt of the Capitol campus, with students receiving a raffle ticket at each site they visited. Raffle prizes included gift certificates for pizza. A special landscape and tree tour led by Dee Ann Kline and Nick Parkinson, master gardeners and members of the Mason County League, generated much interest. One of the local online newspapers, JOLT (The Journal of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater), helped to promote the event and provided cookies. 

The Capitol and the surrounding grounds is the number one tourist attraction in Olympia. The League was fortunate to be able to schedule this event on a sunny weekend in April. This was an opportunity for the League to interact with the public on a positive issue and to encourage students and their parents to become more aware of the importance of civics education. 

 

Students from The Evergreen State College at the Civics Education Fair in Olympia. (Photo by Julie Frick.) 

 

League members at the Civics Education Fair in Olympia. (Photo by Dennis Bloom.) 

By Bobbie Ryder, LWV of Pullman 

The Pullman League has long operated as a “board of the whole.” This means that all paid members are part of the LWV of Pullman Board. Members are invited to attend and participate in all Board meetings, and they receive the agendas, minutes, and handouts ahead of each meeting. Most importantly, by paying membership dues they become voting members at the meetings they attend and can choose to use this right. One person, one vote, if you show up. It is quite simple. Here is the operable phase from our bylaws. 

ARTICLE VII – Meetings; Sec. 3. Quorum: One quarter of the paid membership as of January 1 shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Five (5) members shall constitute a quorum at all other meetings. 

The Pullman League has 75 members, but we average 15 to 20 attendees at the monthly Board meetings. Sometimes more members attend if the agenda looks interesting. Board/membership attendance is reasonably steady, and our Executive Board members (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer) are always at the Board meetings, but not required to be at the “event” meetings. (We host two “events” a month; one Evening Meeting and one noon Brown Bag.) 

In September we publish a simple black-and-white calendar that is periodically updated as speakers change or have scheduling conflicts. It is created as a Word document and it is easy to email updated calendars as PDFs when changes occur. This becomes an opportunity to reach out with a friendly “thought you would be interested” message to all our members. The calendar of events is also listed on our website. 

The LWV of Pullman has operated as a board of the whole for so long that no one remembers when it was anything different. We thought all Leagues operated under this model. Some of our 50-plus-year members report that it has been this way since its founding in 1950. We highly recommend it! 

"Thank Election Heroes Day of Action" on April 12 

Americans across race, place, and party believe in the freedom to decide for themselves who represents them. In the face of a pandemic, Americans turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots and make their voices heard. Election workers are essential workers—like nurses, grocery store workers, letter carriers, and firefighters, our democracy would not function without them (or you). During the deadly pandemic, election workers put their lives on the line to do their jobs, allowing us to cast our votes safely and securely. Then they worked overtime to count every vote so that our voices could be heard. Despite all of this, in some places they are facing extreme pressure and are under attack. 

Join the LWVUS on Tuesday, April 12 for a “Thank Election Heroes Day of Action.” Alongside partners from Public Citizen, Leadership Conference, and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, we will show our support for local election workers and honor them for their dedication to ensuring our elections run smoothly. It is our opportunity to thank them and to shine a light on the work they do.  

Taking action can be done in a number of ways and can take many forms, depending on your locality. The LWVUS is hosting two calls to learn more about how your League can be involved: 

Sunday, April 3, 5 p.m. PT, Movement Call: Learn about election workers' dedication and the hard work they have done throughout the pandemic and how you can host a "Thank Election Heroes" event, either in-person or virtually. 

Wednesday, April 6, 4:30 p.m. PT, Host Call: Learn ways to make your “Thank Election Heroes” event as impactful as possible, whether it’s in-person or virtual. 

For Your Reading Pleasure 

Two years ago this month, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Our lives—and the way we vote—completely changed. Mail-in and early voting were not only successful counters to pandemic restrictions but made voting accessible for all. We must not turn back. We must continue to fight to protect accessible voting practices. Learn more on what COVID-19 taught us about making voting accessible. 

With the new year comes more litigation. In the past year, the League has continued its work fighting anti-voter bills and purges, challenging new district maps, and pushing back against the increased attacks on reproductive rights. Here are a handful of the issues you may want to keep an eye on in 2022.  

Across the United States, we are experiencing the dramatic impact of climate change—severe droughts and wildfires in the West, unprecedented high-water levels and erosion in the Great Lakes, and rising sea levels with resulting floods and saltwater incursion in the East. Read about climate change threats to food and water. 

LWVUS Sends ERA Memo to U.S. House 

In a memo to the U.S. House of Representatives, LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase urged the House to co-sponsor H.R. 891, affirming the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ERA passed Congress in 1972, and in January 2020 Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, meeting the three-fourths state ratification requirement. 

LWV of Texas Submits Testimony to U.S. House Subcommittee 

The LWV of Texas submitted a statement for the record to the U.S. House Administration committee’s Subcommittee on Elections that included stories from Texas voters about the issues they faced in the recent primary following the enactment of S.B. 1, the new law governing Texas elections that had negative consequences for voter access in the state. The LWV of Texas statement was submitted as part of a hearing on “Ensuring Free and Fair Access to the Ballot in Texas.” The lengthy statement includes enlightening testimony from Texas voters.