By Karen Crowley, President, LWV of Washington

Where do you find reliable information about candidates? The voters’ guide from your county Auditor publishes basic information candidates provide about their background, experience and focus. And, closer to the General Election,

VoteWA.gov↗️ and Vote411.org↗️ can be helpful sources.   

But it is particularly valuable to hear directly from the candidates themselves.  

Candidates who take questions in a forum display their willingness to engage publicly, a sign they also may willingly meet and engage with constituents if they win. The way they conduct themselves during these events also may say much about how they will serve if they win.  

Every election cycle, the League of Women Voters takes on the same quiet, unglamorous task of booking a room or scheduling an online session and inviting every candidate on the ballot to participate. The forum moderator asks each participant the same questions, which are chosen to prompt thoughtful responses about important issues in a community or region.  

And every election cycle, some candidates decline to participate. The reason is almost always some version of the same complaint — the League is "partisan," the forum is "rigged," or showing up would be pointless or unfair.  

Whatever the explanation, the suggestion the sponsor is partisan isn’t reflected in the way the League operates.  

The League’s commitment to supporting and defending democracy is vigorous and unyielding, as it has been since its founding in 1920.  Passage of the 19th amendment extended the vote to women, and suffragist leaders established the League “as a mighty political experiment” to help women navigate their new roles as voters.  

Since then, at the local, state and national levels, the League has never endorsed or opposed candidates or political parties.    

We do, however, support issues — on the environment, reproductive rights, voting rights, education, health care, criminal justice and redistricting, to name but a few. We advocate for those policy positions only after extensive study and consensus of our membership.  

The questions we pose — and the manner in which we ask them — are professional and polite. Yes, they can be probing and tough. After all, responding to difficult questions about how to solve difficult problems is rarely easy.    

But the questions the League poses are far from the interrogations a candidate may encounter from a cable television reporter or an angry constituent.    

Political scientists tell us that decisions in high-profile races typically are made long before candidates face off on stage. News coverage consumed months earlier usually shapes decisions, and debates in these races barely move the needle on a voter’s final choices.   

The research, however, says little about races for school boards, city councils, or state legislatures, where League forums tend to have the most impact. In fact, with no significant news coverage — a reality worsened by the decline of local journalism — a forum may offer the only meaningful opportunity to compare candidates.  

Political scientists say risk-averse candidates may sit out public forums. Candidates leading the pack early on have little to gain by sharing a stage with opponents.  But they have much to lose from a gaffe, an unscripted misstep, or a moment clipped out of context.   

Declining typically stems from a calculation that broad public scrutiny offers greater risk than benefit.  

A forum invitation extended equally to every candidate and by an organization with no endorsement to give, strips away the benefit of having a familiar name, a bigger budget, or an incumbent title.   

Sadly, the practice of retreating from public accountability is growing. Debate participation among U.S. Senate↗️ and gubernatorial candidates↗️ has been falling since at least 2016.    

Voters needn’t assume the worst about a candidate who doesn’t participate. But they should ask what a candidate may be trying to avoid.  

A candidate confident in their record and their answers should welcome the comparison. One who avoids it makes a choice, too.   

And that choice should be part of a voter’s calculation.   

A frequently updated new feature on the League of Women Voters of Washington website↗️ provides links to candidate forum and events across the state — lwvwa.org/Forums↗️. Be sure to check back regularly for added dates.  

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that neither supports nor opposes candidates or political parties. The League encourages informed and active participation in all levels of government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.   

By Karen Crowley, President, LWV of Washington

Every election season, someone asks the same question, usually with a raised eyebrow: "If the League of Women Voters doesn't take sides, why does it have so much to say?"

It's a fair question. It's also based on a misunderstanding we'd like to clear up, because the answer is rooted in what democracy requires of people who care about it.

Political distinction
Since our founding in 1920, the League has held this stance: We do not support or oppose any political party or candidate. We don't ask our members who they vote for. We don't fund campaigns. We don't wear party jerseys.

We take this commitment to nonpartisanship seriously. It's why our voice carries above the noise of party politics, and why people across the political spectrum have trusted our voter guides and candidate forums for decades.

But nonpartisan never meant neutral. And it certainly never means silent.

Being partisan means taking a firm side tied to a political party — prioritizing one group's success and often resisting compromise because the goal is winning for the team.

Being political, in contrast, means engaging with civic life, public policy and the problems a community faces. It means showing up to public hearings, pushing for clean water or defending the right to vote — none of which requires choosing a party. That's the League’s distinction: nonpartisan on candidates and parties, unapologetically political on issues.

What this means in practice
We take positions on governmental policy — such as voting rights, environmental protection, education, health care — and do so through study, not allegiance. We follow the policy, not the person or party behind it.

Sometimes that position aligns with a party platform; sometimes it doesn't. That's the whole point: We're don’t push a team. We evaluate whether a policy serves voters and strengthens democracy.

Nonpartisanship does not require silence about the actions of elected officials. Once elected, a candidate becomes our representative. We have a right — even an obligation — to weigh in on policy decisions they make on our behalf.

The League is not neutral about democracy itself. We are pro-voter and pro-democracy, and consider the defense of voting access, government transparency and democratic norms a civic duty — not a partisan strategy.

This year, the League of Women Voters of Washington has taken public positions opposing state ballot initiatives we believe would strip protections from vulnerable children and undermine successful state policy, and we support requiring the highest earners to pay their fair share toward education, health care and working families. None of this is about which party wrote an initiative. It's about what the initiative would actually do.

Standing firm without picking sides
The line between 'political' and 'partisan' isn't always where our critics claim. Those who oppose reforms the League supports sometimes call our advocacy 'partisan' to try to limit our influence. The accusation won’t silence us.

That same clear-eyed confidence guides how we work with others. Partnering with another organization to co-host a voter registration drive, work in a coalition or share the stage at an event does not compromise our nonpartisanship, even if that partner has endorsed a candidate.

What matters is whether the partnership itself stays focused on the shared issue. Each League's board weighs that, considering local conditions and community trust.

In fact, today’s issues warrant deep, authentic coalition work. We are stronger and more effective when we can work together to speak with one voice.

The League’s bright line remains: We will not organize or lead an effort built explicitly to support or oppose a candidate or a party. Everything short of that is a judgment call, made locally.

Bold, loud and still nonpartisan
This moment calls us to be bold enough to name issues, loud enough to be heard without apology, nimble enough to mobilize quickly — all while remaining scrupulously nonpartisan. Those aren't contradictions. They're part of the same muscle the League has flexed for 106 years.

Nonpartisan never meant passive. This discipline lets us fight harder for voters. We don't check our voice at the door to prove we're fair. We stay fair so that our voice means something. That's the deal we made in 1920, and it's the deal we're keeping now.

Members can find tabling guidance HERE↗️.

By Dee Anne Finken, Communications Portfolio Director, LWV of Washington

Building on its century-old commitment to defend democracy and empower voters, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Washington took another major step this summer to keep pace with growing assaults on our democracy. 

The state League hired its first executive director to help guide the nonprofit through an organizational transformation. Like most of the other 49 state Leagues across the country, the Washington League has been led and fueled primarily by volunteers since its founding in 1920, when the 19th Amendment extended voting rights to women. 

The move to restructure also comes as the League — at national, state and local levels — is experiencing record growth.   

In the past two years, the national organization has added 20,000 members, while membership in the state League has increased by 750 since January 2025↗️, bringing its total to more than 3,200 women and men. 

The growth has included the establishment this summer of a new local League in Grays Harbor County↗️. The League is active now in 20 of Washington’s 39 counties.

“We are seeing significant membership growth because people are concerned,” state President Karen Crowley said recently. “We are all responding to very real threats against our democracy.” 

Amy Peloff, hired for the new top spot effective Aug. 1, echoed that perspective.  

“Democracy is definitely under attack, even in Washington state,” said Peloff, who was the state League’s single full-time employee the past eight years, most recently as administrative director.  

“As a grass-roots operation, we need to find ways to activate every single member in every corner of the state whenever and wherever those threats rear their heads,” she said in addressing a major aim of the new structure.   

In recent months, the Washington organization, in step with the country’s other state Leagues, has become more visible and outspoken. That’s all come in the wake of the national organization’s April 2025 declaration that the United States is experiencing a constitutional crisis, a determination that stems from the Trump administration’s disregard for the authority of the courts and Congress, and its attacks on voting rights.  

Both Crowley and Peloff make clear that responses by Leagues across the country are in line with the organization’s unwavering commitment to nonpartisanship.  

They note an individual or an organization can be political and not be partisan. 

Being partisan, they explain, involves endorsing or advocating for candidates or political parties. No Leagues — at any level — are permitted to take such action.  

They are, however, allowed and encouraged to hold elected officials accountable to the responsibilities of their positions and the laws and needs of the communities they serve. 

After extensive, objective study and member consensus, Leagues at all levels routinely take positions or advocate on a range of issues. Among those are protecting voting rights and human and reproductive rights, promoting justice in the courts and corrections systems, expanding and improving education and healthcare, and protecting the environment, energy and natural resources. 

The League’s political but nonpartisan acts include participating in No Kings rallies, speaking against the so-called SAVE Act that would limit access to the ballot for millions, and calling for investigations of conditions at detention centers. 

State organization is national leader
The Washington League is not among the largest state leagues by membership count or geographic size but, Peloff said, it has developed a reputation for its robust participation and action.  

Twice in the past two years, she noted, the Washington League has crafted new policy positions that went on to be adopted by the national organization. One identifies local news as foundational to democracy and calls for its support. The other seeks to enhance the lives of immigrants and ensure they have pathways to economic, social and civic integration where they chose to live. 

Among the Washington League’s long history of accomplishments: Moving the state redistricting process out of the Legislature into the current bipartisan Redistricting Commission, and leading major legislation that created the state Public Disclosure Commission. That law requires expenditure disclosures for candidates and lobbyists. The League also championed legislation that mandates the teaching of civics education in high school. In 2026, the League has been a prominent supporter of the so-called Millionaires’ Tax, which will lead to a more equitable state tax system. 

Peloff said she will continue to honor the many talents and dedication of the organization’s members, individuals she refers to frequently with adjectives such as “incredibly accomplished” and “brilliant.”   

National-level reorganization pays off for state
President Crowley said the LWVWA’s restructuring also was born from a change in the disbursement of LWV dues. A larger percentage of money collected now goes to state League coffers. “This change was part of an intentional effort by the national organization to invest more resources at the state level,” Crowley said.   

The increased revenue, combined with commitments from members of the state Board of Directors, will allow for hiring more staff. At present, in addition to Peloff working full-time, the state has a half-time professional, Carolyn Stewart, who directs the LWVWA’s social media and other communications-related projects.   

In October, Crowley said the state intends to hire a part-time development director as well as a part-time program manager to handle the League’s highly acclaimed “The State We’re In: WA” textbook project   To date, the books have been placed in 48 school districts. “That is another exceptional, volunteer-created project that will benefit from the increased focus of professional staff,” said Crowley. 

Peloff anticipates involving local leagues more directly in governance. “The state League is very good at statewide initiatives,” she said. “I’d like us to see us operate more as a collective of the local Leagues so we can have even broader impact.” 

Peloff said she also looks forward to the League building relationships with other organizations across Washington. Among those she identified are Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and Common Cause. Already the League partners with the Girl Scouts of the USA, the American Association of University Women and the National Council of Jewish Women. 

As Peloff moves into an expanded leadership role, she said members shouldn’t see much difference in the way she interacts with others, whether they are local members, Lobby Team Issue Chairs, or local or state leaders. “My primary philosophy of leadership is collaboration and humility,” she said. 

She plans to focus on building partnerships with those individuals, too.   

“The door is always open and people are always welcome.” 

She also intends to use her position to raise the profile of the League. “I’d like to make sure the governor’s chief of staff knows my phone number and name. The same should be true for the secretary of state and both U.S. senators.” Her goal is to boost communication with these offices to more effectively advocate for League priority positions, such as protecting our elections systems. 

Peloff earned a Ph.D. in Women’s Studies from the University of Washington. She also holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from the College of William and Mary. She continues to be affiliate faculty in the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies department at the University of Washington, a position that has involved teaching and accompanying students to study in Amsterdam, Cuba and India. 

Former state president Ann Murphy said Peloff’s extensive knowledge of women’s history was one of the reasons the League hired her in 2018. 

“It was that, but also her genuine enthusiasm for the job,” Murphy said.  

As administrative director, Peloff oversaw daily operations, implemented technology solutions, improved efficiency, streamlined communications and solved seemingly hundreds of last-minute crises, all with good humor and great aplomb. 

“She does all of these impressive things, including working with technology,” Murphy added. 

Peloff noted that many of the suffragists who founded the League were women of means who did not work outside of the home. To keep up with the times, Peloff will prioritize making participation in the League easier for those who have family, career and other commitments.  

“We need to adapt League structures to be more accommodating, and help new members find their place in doing this important work,” she said. 

By Susan F. Martin, Board of Directors, LWV of Washington

Today, Sept. 17, is one of the most important dates in the history of the United States. On this day in 1787, in a building in Philadelphia that would become known as Independence Hall, 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution. 

While the delegates expressed concerns about various parts of the Constitution, most agreed with Benjamin Franklin in his closing speech that “I agree to this Constitution, with all its Faults, if they are such.”  

One of the main concerns was the absence of any consideration for the rights of individuals regarding issues such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. Another was the fear that a centralized government would have too much power.  

The Constitution would not go into effect until nine of the 13 states ratified it. Delaware was the first state to vote in favor, ratifying the document on Dec. 7, 1787. Pennsylvania and New Jersey ratified it soon after.  

A larger number followed in 1788, including Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina. New Hampshire, the crucial ninth state, signed on June 21, 1788, making the Constitution legally binding. It was not until May 29, 1790, that the final state, Rhode Island, ratified. 

The deliberations at the Constitutional Convention required substantial negotiations to satisfy the interests of the 13 states. There was considerable agreement that the previous governmental structure — the Articles of Confederation — had failed. Under the Articles, there was no power to tax; no mechanism to carry out the laws passed by Congress; no judicial branch to settle legal disputes; no power to regulate trade; and no national currency, among other problems. 

What should succeed the Articles of Confederation was the question. In the first Federalist Paper, Alexander Hamilton wrote: “It seems to have been reserved to the people of this country … to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.”  

The first sentence in the Constitution provides the answer: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” 

Much as the preamble to the Constitution is aspirational, as is the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution is also very practical.  

The first three articles define the responsibilities of the legislative, congressional, and judicial branches of the government. The other four articles define the relationships between the states and the federal government, how to change or amend the Constitution in the future, establish that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and explain the ratification process to ensue. 

Some states remained suspicious of the intent of the Constitution. The Federalist Papers helped reassure some delegates in state conventions. During the Massachusetts convention, Gov. John Hancock recommended amendments to the Constitution, including a Bill of Rights.  

Samuel Adams, another leader of the revolution, spoke in favor of what he called a "conciliatory proposition," that persuaded enough Massachusetts delegates to vote for ratification.  

The promise of a Bill of Rights assured other states to follow suit. The Constitution, with the Bill of Rights and further amendments aimed at forming a more perfect Union, has served the nation well. 

Today, however, we are living in what the League of Women Voters has termed a constitutional crisis. As stated by the LWV leadership, "The foundational principles that have sustained our democracy — checks and balances, the rule of law, free and fair elections — are under direct and sustained threat.”  

On Sept. 17, we celebrate Constitution Day. Although not an official federal holiday, schools and agencies that receive federal funding must provide educational programming about the U.S. Constitution on this day.  

We should all remember that ‘We the people’ have a special obligation to protect our republic, as Franklin stated as he left the Constitutional Convention.  

Editor’s note:  The Journal of the San Juans also published this essay on Sept. 11↗️.   

By Payton Cleven, LWV of Seattle King County

The timing was just right at summer’s start when University of Arizona incoming senior Emma Chapman sought out a volunteer internship doing social media for the League of Women Voters of Washington.  

Chapman, a Communications major who is from Sammamish, not surprisingly reached out on the social media platform Instagram to connect with Carolyn Stewart who, not surprisingly, manages the LWVWA’s social media effort. 

Chapman’s timing was just right, too, because state leadership had just announced its plan to provide members in all 20 local Leagues with more training and guidance, including how to improve communication with members and the public. 

Then, thanks to a timely national reorganization that has funneled more funding to the state League, Chapman’s volunteer gig turned into a paid part-time summer position. 

Voilà! Chapman had her first college-level internship, and the League had its first paid intern doing social media work. 

In early spring, after surveying local League leaders about what training would be most helpful, Stewart adapted the internship to a T. 

She assigned Chapman to strengthen members’ confidence with Canva, a graphic-design platform that can be used to make presentations, posters, flyers, and other outreach materials.  

During the 10-week internship, Chapman created seven step-by-step video tutorials — now available on YouTube↗️ — on how to navigate the Canva platform, design flyers, edit premade templates, and create QR codes.  

Chapman also prepared a quick-reference guide in another format for practitioners seeking another route to learn Canva. 

Also using Canva, Chapman created templates for local Leagues to use to inform the public about primary elections and candidate forums and to provide post-election updates. 

Another project she completed offers guidance on creating engaging and informational social media content that retains the League’s brand standards and voice.  

Chapman said she drew inspiration from a toolkit an intern with the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts made, adding insight Stewart shared that she has picked up over the years. 

Stewart said that toolkit will provide local Leagues valuable resources for managing their own social media presence and creating cohesive content.   

“Talking to her throughout, it was clear that Emma really cared about these projects,” said Stewart, who is putting finishing touches on Chapman’s work and will upload the tutorials and resources to the state League website in the coming weeks.  

Editor’s note: Payton Cleven joined the League in Seattle King in January 2026 and works at Fred Hutch Cancer Center as a research technician.  

Peggy Watt displaying her instructive shirts.

Editor’s note:  Many League members may remember — and may have purchased — a T-shirt featuring the design above. The shirts were a promotional tactic the LWVWA used as it sought — and secured — adoption of its position on Local News & Democracy at the 2024 national convention in Washington, D.C., in 2024. 

Skagit League member Peggy Watt, who is also a member of the Local News & Democracy team, has found value in wearing other similarly instructive shirts. Here's Watt's story:

I’ve learned that when teaching First Amendment issues to college students, it sometimes helps to dress the part.  

I’ve taught Mass Media Law and Exploring the First Amendment at Western Washington University (my undergraduate alma mater) for 20 years, after a longer career in newsrooms. It is an especially important time for students — and communities — to understand First Amendment rights and journalistic responsibilities. One of the hardest concepts is that the First Amendment applies to everyone (even noncitizens and visitors, under the 14th Amendment) and that it covers even something you disagree with or would rather not hear.  

For every class, I wear a T-shirt relevant to the day’s lesson. To introduce First Amendment history, there’s an “Enemy of the American People since 1791” T-shirt that commemorates the year the First Amendment was adopted and also draws observations about the 45th president’s views of the press.  

The discussion of expressive speech features a “Try to Burn This” T-shirt featuring an American flag that belonged to my conservative father-in-law, who bequeathed me the T-shirt and a flask. Another shirt was a fundraiser for the Marion County Record when the Kansas newspaper was illegally invaded when a local politician was angry about its reporting.  

And yes, I wear the League’s “Local News = Democracy” shirt and share about League priorities and activities.  

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication recognized my T-shirt lessons in the international organization’s Law & Policy Division's 2026 Teaching Competition earlier this month in New Orleans, where I gave a presentation about my tactics. 

By Sasha Bently, Director, LWV of Washington (Klickitat-Skamania Unit-At-Large member)

What we learn in school shapes how we understand our communities, our neighbors, and ourselves. But perhaps just as important is recognizing what we don't learn along the way. 

That's one reason the League of Women Voters of Washington continues to invest in civic education through its “The State We're In: WA” civics textbook.  

With two editions, one for youngsters in grades 3-5, and the other for middle school and older students, the book goes beyond explaining how government works. It helps students understand the history of the state, the relationship between local, state, and tribal governments, and the role each of us plays in civic life.  

Fully integrating information about tribal governments and Native history into the history of the state, it reflects the League's commitment to civic education, serving as a vital tool to empower voters and defend democracy. 

Recently, Beth Pellicciotti, with the Spokane League’s Civic Education project, secured a LWVWA Civic Education grant to provide classroom sets of the textbook to Salish School of Spokane↗️ or, in the language, Sƛ̓x̌atkʷ N̓səl̓xčin̓ Sn̓maʔmáyaʔtn̓. Their school motto is: kʷu haʔnwixʷ, kʷu kʷułnwixʷ, kʷu txət̓nwixʷ, which translates into English as “We respect each other, we share with each other, we take care of each other.” 

The Native-language immersion school, incorporated in 2009 by five Salish women as a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to revitalizing the four Southern Interior Salish languages: n̓səl̓xčin̓ (Colville Salish), n̓xaʔm̓xčín̓ (Wenatchee-Columbian Salish), n̓sélišcn̓ (Spokane-Kalispel Salish), and sn̓čicʷúʔum̓c̓n̓ (Coeur d’Alene Salish). 

Pellicciotti learned about the school from fellow Spokane League member Suzi Hokonson, who serves on the LWVWA committee updating the League's Tribal Study.  

As Salish School of Spokane builds a new campus on the Spokane River for its pre-kindergarten through ninth-grade programs, its mission is a reminder that history isn't just something we study. Rather, history is something we choose to preserve and pass on to the future. 

As she presented the textbooks to the school in late May, Pellicciotti reflected on how her own education left important stories untold.  

Growing up near Seneca Falls, New York (the birthplace of the women's rights movement), Pellicciotti learned all about the 1848 Women's Rights Convention↗️, but not the influence Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) women had on many of the movement's earliest leaders.  

Later in life, she discovered how much history she hadn’t been taught. Beyond the native women themselves, they were inspired by their way of living in equal partnership and participation in tribal government and society. Unfortunately, women suffragists turned that inspiration into appropriation and erasure, actively excluding Native women from their movement↗️.  

Pellicciotti and the teachers also discussed how understanding Native history and government will grow as we learn more, making room for voices and perspectives that have too often been overlooked. 

This spring, the KSPS Civics Bowl in Spokane↗️ included questions from the League textbook about Native American history and government. Doing so helped even more students and viewers develop a broader understanding of Washington's past and present. 

Pellicciotti also noted that Spokane Public Schools purchased 1,700 copies of “The State We’re In: WA” for all seventh graders in July 2025, with students in the dual-language program receiving copies in both English and Spanish. By using the textbook, Pellicciotti said, “students are learning a history of Native tribes and government in Washington state that is important and not to be lost.” 

LaRae Wiley, Salish School of Spokane co-founder and elder linguist, shared similar sentiments. "It took many hands to push our language and our culture down, and it will take many hands to lift it back up again,” she said. “We invite you to partner with us to restore what was nearly lost."  

When the state Legislature returns to Olympia for the 2027 session, the LWVWA Lobby Team will focus primarily on Democracy and Revenue as Washington once again is expected to face tremendous challenges — financial and others.  The team will also address issues relating to climate change, education, immigration, health care, children’s issues, elder care, criminal justice and natural resources.

Gathering in Tacoma in late July for their annual retreat, Lobby Team members heard details from Nancy Sapiro, the state League’s contract lobbyist, on what’s likely ahead. Sapiro predicted Gov. Ferguson will present a budget that “could pause existing programs and scrutinize new requests,” all to avoid new taxes. 

Democracy Issue Chair Alison McCaffree, meanwhile, identified Democracy priorities this year as “strengthening voting rights, protecting elections, getting corporate money out of campaigns and increasing the accountability of Washington’s redistricting commission.” 

Meeting in small groups during the retreat, team members also reviewed roles and responsibilities of Issue Chairs and Advocates and considered what changes the hiring of a new executive director will mean for operations. 

Members also brainstormed about ways to make the Legislative Action Newsletter, distributed weekly during the legislative session, more reader friendly.   

The retreat was an opportunity to meet the three new Issue Chairs, whose additions bring the count of Issue Chairs to 15.  More than two dozen Advocates support the work of the Issue Chairs.  

Brief profiles of the new Issue Chairs, Kathy Ryan, MAK Mitchell and Kären Wieckert appear below. 

The first day of the two-year legislative session is Jan. 11, 2027. 

The team met at Quantum Martial Arts Tacoma, a dojo owned and operated by McCaffree. 

Lobby Team co-chair Ann Murphy noted, “A dojo seems an appropriate place for the team to meet.  After all, the Japanese term means ‘place of the Way,’ and, in addition to practicing martial arts, a dojo is a space used for immersive learning and meditation.” 

New Issue Chairs
MAK Mitchell, from the Seattle King County League, will serve as a Democracy Issue chair. She was mentored by Alison McCaffree for two years.  

Among Mitchell’s numerous professional experiences and accomplishments are Harvard University teaching fellow in ethnography; Shoreline schools superintendent, where she managed the district budget and compliance with campaign finance, conflicts of interest and disclosure rules; and adjunct professor at the University of Washington. 

In New York City, Mitchell served as executive director of Urban Assembly NYC, a nonprofit, where she led turnaround strategies for 20 of the city’s poorest schools; and executive director of school governance in the Bloomberg administration. 

In Alaska, meanwhile, Mitchell built and activated school instruction and governance for nine Native schools in the Artic and Kodiak Island. 

In Washington state, her services include past member of the board and presenter for the Washington State School Directors Association; and current member of the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce. For the League, she led the Seattle League’s effort to assure strong activization of their King County Climate Action plans; and led the analyzation of bills relating to campaign finance and public disclosure during the 2026 legislative session.  

Kathleen “Kathy” Ryan, from Thurston County, is a newer League member, and will serve as Issue Chair for Economic Policy/Revenue. She earned a law degree in 1978 and is retired from the Washington Department of Revenue. There she was manager of the Legislation and Policy division.   

Ryan was mentored by and worked closely with Cynthia Stewart, who served as the Lobby Team chair until shortly before she died early this year. 

Kären Wieckert, who holds graduate degrees in Information and Computer Sciences and brings experience teaching at Stanford University, will serve as Issue chair for Water.  

Wieckert is a member in Thurston County, having previously been a member of the League in Nashville, Tenn., where she was on the board for eight years and was involved in environmental advocacy at the state level for four years. In Washington, she co-chaired an online discussion group called “Hot Topics” for seven years. 

In her application for Issue Chair, Wieckert noted as a sixth-grader in the 1970s, she helped with the first day Earth Day event in Appleton, Wisc.  A few years later, in Cambridge, Mass., she founded the community’s local chapter of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. 

By Kathy E. Gill, LWV Snohomish County

Two hundred sixty-two League members logged in July 19 to hear author and historian Heather Cox Richardson discuss her book, How the South Won the Civil War↗️. The Zoom event was organized as part of the League’s 250th commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. 

At one point in the online conversation, Richardson offered this fantasy, inspired by a comic strip, about women winning the right to vote in male-dominated Wyoming: 

“I always think of that scene from Bloom County, where the alien comes down behind the kid who's looking at the stars and unfurls a sign that says: ‘Mars Needs Women.’ I always think of that in terms of Wyoming, because they could have done the same thing. Wyoming needs women. So, Wyoming Territory recognizes the right of women to vote in 1869.”  

League members submitted questions in advance for Richardson.   

Women’s suffrage and the West 
Responding to a question about women’s suffrage taking hold in the West before the 19th Amendment, Richardson described the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a mark, perhaps, of “a different political era” from that of the Civil War.  

In the West, citizens were engaged in a “reworking of the American government to recognize the importance of all the individuals in a community, as opposed to simply the individualistic guys who are collecting a paycheck.”  

The West marked a rise in populism “that is going to become the modern American state in the middle of the 20th century,” she concluded. 

Why did the founders form the Electoral College? 
Richardson punctured a myth about the Electoral College being designed as a vehicle to enable slavery.  

“What the founders really worried about, and why they come up with the Electoral College, is they're really, really worried about somebody figuring out a way to manipulate the vote to remain in power as a dictator.” 

It was not until Eli Whitney’s cotton gin made cotton so profitable that Southern enslavers turned to the idea of the Electoral College to protect their institutions, she continued. 

How can we strengthen the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments? 
In response to a question about strengthening the Constitution, Richardson suggested the first step is to “get rid of Citizens United.”  

The second? “End partisan gerrymandering.” 

Richardson continued, “The Department of Justice was literally created by Congress in 1870 to make sure the 14th Amendment was honored by the states.   

In fact, rather than amending the Constitution to enforce the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, Richardson urged ensuring the Department of Justice will do its job. And that means the Senate must do the same, she added. 

Remember, we have agency 
Inspiring hope, Richardson reminded the audience that “the Constitution starts with we, the people, and we give our power temporarily to our elected representatives to act for us.”  

She added, “If we don't support what they're doing, we can take that power back.” 

The idea of having “agency in changing the future … is crucial for us to understand in this moment.”  

When people experience joy, community and other positive emotions, she said, “fear and anger of authoritarianism can't take hold.” 

Turning to recent polls, Richardson added, “Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of stopping the rise of authoritarianism.”  

Richardson pointed to the League’s efforts as ways to express that agency. 

In addition to encouraging people to vote, she said, “Make sure people have access to fact-based media, and you can spread fact-based media, and you can push back instantly when you see lies on social media.”   

Richardson added, “But you can also paint, and sing, and … contribute to a world that says, we don't have to live with the guardrails we had in the past. We can create something entirely new.” 

Richardson donated a signed first edition of her book, which was given to Kat Odell of Pullman, whose name was selected at random. 

A video recording of the event is available↗️.  

Editor’s note: Kathy E. Gill organized the event for the League. 

By Lisa Stettler, LWV Snohomish County

When it comes to the challenges facing elections, King County’s top elections officer doesn’t mince words.   

“The biggest threat to elections isn’t voter fraud. It’s rumors,” Julie Wise, King County director of Elections, told attendees at a University of Washington gathering last month. It was sponsored by the school’s Center for an Informed Public and the League of Women Voters of Seattle King County.  

During a conversation with center co-founder professor Kate Starbird, Wise said rumors tend to erode people’s trust in elections, prompting would-be voters to turn away. 

“Democracy is at its finest when everyone votes,” Wise said, explaining how rumors tear away at the foundation of a democratic system.   

Starbird’s name is familiar to many League members. She was a keynote speaker at the June 2025 statewide League convention in Vancouver, where her presentation was titled “Spotlight on Rumors: Influence and Improvisation in the Alternative Media Ecosystem.”  

In that presentation, Starbird reflected on more than 10 years of research into online rumors during times of crisis. She explained how rumors spread and can be exploited to gain influences and shape political outcomes.   

Over the past 18 months, members of the Seattle King League and the state League’s Media Literacy and News Education Project have worked with officials at the center to address mis- and dis-information. 

Rumors make election processes look suspicious, Starbird said at the July event. The result, she added, is “the truth has a disadvantage in this environment.”  

A graduate research student at the center, Stephen Prochaska, explained that the CIP’s goal “is to ensure that people are not disenfranchised due to bad information.”  

Among the day’s activities was an opportunity to participate in a bingo game that Prochaska presented to help people identify repeated, false election rumors.   

Prochaska also discussed five categories of often-repeated rumors: False evidence, misinterpreted evidence, omitting remedies, exaggerated impact and falsely attributed intent. 

Lisa Stettler is a former journalist who taught high school journalism and U.S government and current issues, which included media literacy during a more than 20-year career in education.  She is a member of the LWVWA Media Literacy and News Education committee that produced the four Media and News Literacy Educational Workshops offered to members last fall and this winter.  The group is now developing a toolkit for members to provide media literacy training to the public. The toolkit is expected to be ready early next calendar year.