With special elections in February, we want to make everyone aware of United State Postal Service changes that could affect how your ballot is postmarked—and counted.

The League of Women Voters US provides this explanation of rule update the USPS made on Dec. 24: In simple terms, it clearly defines what, how, and when a postmark is applied or used. It does not make operational changes to the way that mail is processed.

The USPS's definition makes clear that a postmark does NOT indicate the date a piece of mail was sent (accepted by a postal worker, dropped in an official USPS mailbox, or received at a local post office). Instead, it indicates when a piece of mail was received by a USPS processing facility.

This does not change the way that mail-in ballots (or any other mail) are processed. Postmarks will continue to be applied in the same manner as they were previously applied. However, voters should know that a local post office may NOT be the processing facility that applies the postmark. In some cases, the mail may be sent to another facility. This means that a ballot mailed at a local post office might not be postmarked by 8 pm on election day, which is the requirement.

What should my League focus on?

Leagues will be instrumental in reminding voters about Washington state's mail-in ballot deadlines and processes. Check with your local Elections Office for additional details.

• What is the deadline to receive ballots in Washington state?
  According to the Secretary of State’s website: “Your ballot must either be postmarked no later than Election Day or returned to a ballot drop box by 8 pm on Election Day. If mailing your ballot within a week of Election Day, be mindful of mailbox collection times or use an official ballot drop box. A late postmark could disqualify your ballot.”
• Share the location of ballot drop boxes.

It’s important to help voters make a plan to return their ballot. If they plan to use the US Postal Service, encourage them to return their mail-in ballot no later than one week prior to the deadline. You can also share information about how to have their ballot manually postmarked if they are concerned about the timeline, help them locate drop boxes near them, or direct them to drop off their ballot at the office of their election official (if available).

You can read more on the LWV website here.

A Front-Row Seat to What’s Happening in Olympia

The jam-packed stretch of daytime and evening opportunities to help you advocate for legislation critical to Washingtonians—also known as LWVWA’s Lobby Week—runs Jan. 26-29 this year.

Register here to make sure you’re able to participate in this front-row seat to what’s happening in Olympia this session.

Evenings will feature a collection of workshops for members, providing them with important details about League legislative priorities. Bills that “defend democracy” top the list, including the plight of local news. Other priorities include homelessness, behavioral health, the plight facing immigrants and citizens, climate change and the environment, waste diversion, forests, children’s issues, health and behavior health, early childhood and K-12 issues, and criminal justice. League members will be encouraged to weigh in throughout the session on the wide range of bills we support.

Daytime will be opportunities for members in local Leagues across the state to meet with their senators and representatives via Zoom—and advocate for specific bills.

“This is your power,” state League President Karen Crowley said of Lobby Week. “You can sway what happens. When 2,000 League members set in, that’s power.”

Crowley urged Lobby Week coordinators in each local League to set up meetings with respective senators and representatives and recruit fellow members to participate in discussions. She said the evening workshops will offer insights to help members feel more empowered in their conversations with lawmakers.

Local Leagues that don’t have coordinators for Lobby Week or those coordinators who would like additional coaching should check out this link to a series of guides and instructions.

Meanwhile, League leadership acknowledged workshops every evening and daytime meetings with two representatives and a senator make for a full week of activities. But as Crowley noted, leadership understands members have other relationships and responsibility and therefore should feel welcome to attend as they are able.

Evening sessions will run from 6:30-8:30 pm Monday through Thursday with a wrap-up from 6:30-7:30 pm Friday. Daytime meetings will be set by coordinators in each local League. A full agenda is available at the registration link.

Lobby Week is a free event, although attendees are asked to consider a contribution to support LWVWA's advocacy work. You can adjust the suggested donation of $15 to any amount from $0 on up.

More information about Lobby Week is available from Administrative Director Amy Peloff.

Register Today

For a solid summary of what happens in the Legislature every day during session, watch TVW's Legislative Review nightly at 8pm & 11pm.

The campaign for I-126—which could have resulted in thousands of eligible Washingtonians being blocked from voting—did not secure enough signatures to qualify for consideration this legislative session.

Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, the initiative’s sponsor, conceded earlier this month that the campaign had not generated enough signatures to meet the approximately 309,000 required by law to be validated.

I-126 would have required Washington voters to have an enhanced driver’s license/ID or provide other in-person proof of citizenship. Without that documentation, voters would have been required to appear in person at their county auditor’s office to prove their citizenship under a specified timeline or be removed from the rolls.

“The League is pleased that Washingtonians did not respond to initiative I-126,” said League state President Karen Crowley. “We all want our elections to be accurate, secure and transparent, but this effort offered nothing toward that end.”

Had the campaign been successful, the measure would have gone to the Legislature, whose members could have adopted it as written; sent it to the November 2026 ballot for voters to decide; or approved an alternative initiative for the November 2026 ballot that would have appeared next to the original.

Walsh also announced he plans another campaign to gather signatures on a new petition for an initiative to the voters for the November 2026 election. That initiative reportedly will be nearly identical, but proponents must start over in gathering signatures.

“You can be sure the League will be back in opposition if this effort to silence thousands of eligible voters is resurrected,” Crowley added.

by Callie Ridolfi, Virtual Unit Leader, LWV of Seattle King County

The Duwamish people: People of the Inside dxʷdəwʔabš 

The Seattle King County Virtual Unit’s program this year is educating members on local tribes and exploring partnership opportunities with them. The unit’s research and outreach also will support the state League’s update of the 1980 Tribal Study.   

The Duwamish people have resided in the Seattle area since time immemorial, with stories telling of the last Ice Age with an ice weir breaking at the Duwamish River. “Duwamish” means “people of the inside," referring to those who lived on the land around the Duwamish, Black, and Cedar rivers.  

Their ancestral language is Lushootseed, which the tribe is working to revitalize. Primary sources of food were historically from the water, including fish, salmon, shellfish, ducks and saltwater animals.  

The Duwamish tribal longhouse in Seattle is near where one of their largest villages was located before it burned in 1895. Many enrolled members live in the Seattle King County area on the aboriginal territory of the Duwamish people. 

In 1855, four Duwamish tribal members signed the Treaty of Point Elliott, including Chief Si’ahl (or Seattle). Chief Si’ahl was a chief of the D’wamish and Suquamish tribes. Since 1978, the tribe has been seeking to restore their status with the U.S. government as a federally recognized tribe.  

A six-member council leads the tribe, which is governed by a 1925 constitution and bylaws. Cecile Hansen, a descendant of Chief Si’ahl, is the tribe’s elected chair. 

The need for the update stems from significant developments since 2000: 

Techniques Used to Sway Opinion (Jan. 20). 

Register here

Get to know Artificial Intelligence (Feb. 24)

Register here

Do you want to be a savvier consumer of media and news in 2026? 

Register now for the final two educational workshops for League members in the Media & News Literacy series presented by the LWVWA Local News and Democracy Advocacy and Education Committee.  

Techniques Used to Sway Opinion: Jan. 20, 6:30-8 pm via Zoom. 
Persuasion is a foundational element of democracy that’s essential for civil discourse, public debate on issues, and consensus-building in a free society. But sometimes, persuasion can lead you astray. This online, interactive workshop will cover persuasion’s different forms and how they work, and it will provide skill-building exercises to help you become more aware of when you’re being influenced and how to resist. 

You will need the following two handouts for this workshop. Download them now and either print them or have them easily accessible on your computer.

• Fallacies Visual Aids 
• Fallacies Quiz Companion 

Get to Know Artificial Intelligence (AI): Feb. 24, 2026, 6:30-8pm via Zoom. 
Artificial intelligence is everywhere—even places that might surprise you. This online, interactive workshop will teach skills to help you identify how and where AI is being used. You’ll also learn basic definitions and information to help you understand AI’s capabilities for good or potential harm. 

To get the most out of these Media & News Literacy: Educational Workshops, we recommend you: 

• View the 8-minute introduction to media and news literacy video. 
  
  
• Explore the recordings and presentations from the first two workshops HERE. 
  

These workshops are part of the state League’s “Democracy Power-Up!” series to help members respond to the constitutional crisis and defend democracy.

Editor's note: Like news publications across Washington and the United States, The Daily Record in Ellensburg has been hard hit by the local news decline, losing staff and reducing coverage of the communities it serves. The LWVWA’s 2023 study, “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy,” reported the average number of pages in the Record’s Sunday edition dropped from 26 in 2004 to 12 in 2020. The newsstand price also doubled, from 50 cents to $1. Once published six days a week, it is now published four days a week. Finally, a recent circulation count for the Record was 5,523 while the region’s Community Connect Facebook page reported more than 12,000 member followers in Kittitas County, further evidence the reduced coverage is prompting readers to turn to social media for information. 

By Maureen McKinney, Outreach/Communications, LWV of Kittitas County

For the past few years, The Daily Record in Ellensburg, published by Adams Publishing and serving Kittitas County, has regularly published articles prepared by members of the League of Women Voters of Kittitas County. 

The articles appear in the Record’s opinion section, published under the header “Guest Viewpoint.” The Record published13 of our articles in 2024, with that number nearly doubling to 24 in 2025. 

The subject matter has varied from voting security to Hispanic National Heritage Month, to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to support of local news in all formats. 

Among the titles on recent stories are “The U.S. Postal Service Still Essential,” “Parade with Us (Join us in celebrating and participating in the Ellensburg Pride Parade),” and “We Can’t Do This without Journalistic Standards.” 

We’ve taken on this project because citizens need fair, truthful and in-depth information about key issues at all levels.  Sadly, too many people rely on a single source for their news, leaving them with only bits of information, all too often featuring mis- and disinformation, rather than facts and reality. 

The League’s reputation, the result of our practice of careful study and member consensus on issues, contributes to readers believing the content we produce is trustworthy. 

Nine local League members have taken up their pens to contribute these articles.  All the while, they adhere to League positions on issues, offering their own person touch. 

Click HERE to access the articles published in 2024 and 2025. 

Contact us at info@kittitasleague.org if your local League would like to learn more about our project.  Perhaps your local news outlet would like you to contribute your insights.  

by Susan Martin and Lydia Zepeda, Welcoming Immigrants Concurrence Committee, LWV of Washington

The League of Women Voters of Washington will submit its recently adopted position on the rights of immigrants in the United States as a concurrence item for consideration at the National Convention in June.  

We need your local League to support concurrence as part of your program-planning process this month. You can do this by identifying concurrence with the LWVWA position on the rights of immigrants in the upcoming LWVUS program planning survey. 

The LWVUS adopteda position on immigration in 2008 that focuses primarily on the admission of immigrants and their right to due process.  

The LWVWA position expands on that by addressing issues that affect immigrants and their families after entry into the United States.  

The LWVWA position is based on two years of objective and nonpartisan analysis. The resulting report, Welcoming Immigrants to Washington State, is fully supported by careful data and research, including dozens of interviews with immigrants and other stakeholders.  

We  ask your League to prioritize national adoption of the LWVWA position on the rights of immigrants in the program-planning survey (available Jan.15) and, of course, at the June convention. The convention will be held in Columbus, Ohio.  

The concurrence process is the best way for the League to help protect the rights of immigrants already in the U.S. and their families. The concurrence team has sent sample language to all local Leagues to use to complete the program-planning survey. Let us know if you have questions. 

For more information, contact Welcoming Immigrants committee leaders Susan Martin at smartin@lwvwa.org and Lydia Zepeda at lzepeda@lwvwa.org. 

By Sasha Bentley and Robbie Soltz, DEI Affinity Group co-chairs, LWV of Washington

We invite you to watch The Danger of a Single Story, a short, powerful talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose portrait appears on the previous page.  The talk is a reminder of how incomplete narratives—about people, communities, or organizations—can limit understanding and belonging, even when intentions are good. 

Inspired by this framing, our DEI Affinity Group has begun meeting and wants to share both what we’re doing and how you can be involved. Transparency is a priority for us, and we’ll be communicating more regularly about our work, decisions, and next steps. 

Our first actions are focused on listening and learning: 

• Reviewing DEI-related work, policies and practices across national, state and local Leagues,
  
  
• Gathering input on what local Leagues are already doing—what's working, what's challenging and what support would be helpful.

In February, we’ll synthesize what we learn to help identify shared priorities and next actions. Contact Sasha Bentley at sbentley@lwvwa.org for the calendar invite/Zoom link. 

Our goal is clear: to continue shaping a League which people feel they can truly be a part of.  

Achieving that takes thoughtful change, learning and training, clear and accountable internal systems, and a culture that supports belonging at every level. 

We’ll share more soon on how to share your local work and join the conversation. We’re grateful to be learning together. 

More information is available from DEI Affinity Group co-chairs Bentley at sbentley@lwvwa.org and Robbie Soltz at rsoltz@lwvwa.org.