The LWVWA recently updated the "Program of Work and Studies” information in the “For Members” section of our website. The updates include additional resources and information about the current LWVWA programs for 2023-2025 biennium.

Additionally, there is now a spot for local Leagues to share their studies and reports under “LWVWA Studies/Reports.” Local Leagues that would like to include a link to a completed program on this page should contact Shelley Kneip.

Vote411 is live! 

•  Direct folks with questions about the primary races in their jurisdictions to Vote411.   

• Continue to submit questions to Vote 411 for the General Election: vote411questions@lwvwa.org. 

• See if your candidates have responded to the Vote411 questions. If gentle encouragement is needed, resources are available here and here.   

Updates from Lucy Barefoot, Voter Education and Outreach Specialist, Elections Division, Secretary of State.

• Voter Registration changes coming in 2024: The ability to use the last 4 digits of social security number (SSN) for online voter registration will not go into effect until 2024. Recent legislation enabled the change but did include guidance on how signatures will be collected. Also coming in 2024, automatic voter registration will be implemented for those who are getting an enhanced driver’s license.    
  
  

• Variety of SSN: Having a social security number or card does not necessarily mean the holder is a citizen. Someone may be determined ineligible to vote based on the type of SSN they have. Those social security cards have language such as: “valid for work only with DSH authorization,” “Valid for work only with INS authorization” or “Not valid for employment." Much of the burden of determining citizenship still falls on the registrant. 
  
  

• SOS sent out an envelope of voter registration materials to all Leagues in May. Many of the materials can be ordered on their website.

The League of Women Voters of Snohomish County has had a formal partnership agreement with the Snohomish County Elections Office since 1994. This long-standing partnership has been submitted for an award at the National Association of Elections Officials annual conference in Orlando, Florida. The submission was the idea of the Elections Staff themselves—and the League is honored to be recognized in this way. You can read the nomination here. The theme is Stronger Together. You may be surprised and delighted to learn the full range of work being done to educate and engage Snohomish County voters.  

On Sunday, June 4, the LWV of Bellingham-Whatcom County (B-WC) held their second annual Day Uplifting the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Whatcom County. This event provided an opportunity for about 300 Whatcom County residents to celebrate and highlight the many contributions of their Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. It included tabling by BIPOC and allied groups, BIPOC vendors, and a variety of foods, as well as with performances by dancers and singers of all ages. 

Organized by the B-WC Racial Equity and Healthy Democracy Issue Team (co-chaired by Shovia Muchirawehondo & Carol J. Smith), this annual event grew out of Shovia’s master’s fieldwork at Western Washington University, which explored ways in which LWV, as an important organization that promotes policy change for the betterment of society, could work to improve the representation and stability of BIPOC communities in predominantly white areas. Whatcom County is less than 25% BIPOC.  

According to Shovia, policy change is an important tool for promoting equity and inclusion in society. By advocating for policies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, organizations like the League of Women Voters can help create a more just and equitable society. However, Shovia argued that policy change isn’t the only tool in our toolbox. By supporting and/or organizing events like this one, our communities can build greater awareness and understanding of the issues faced by BIPOC people and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society. 

This is a collective effort that requires the support and engagement of various stakeholders. From community leaders to political representatives, everyone has a role to play in creating a more just and inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. While this event was the brainchild of Shovia and organized by the League, it only succeeded through the collaborative efforts of 14 different community organizations, and the support of Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Whatcom Community College’s Vice President for Instruction Barry Robinson, and many other local leaders.

Photos courtesy of Barry Robinson, Whatcom Community College.

LWVWA’s position on healthcare is clear, “all people should have access to the healthcare they need; and it should be affordable, geographically accessible, and cover all legally approved services including abortion and end of life care." Currently in Washington we are far from meeting the stated expectations of our LWVWA position.

First, what is a Public Hospital District? It is a special services district (think of your library or fire department as analogies) organized to assure a community has access to the services it deems necessary or desires. A Public Hospital District (PHD) is governed by elected officials and paid for in part by property taxes like any other special service district, so the community has a vote on decisions made and on who makes those decisions.  

What is this Civic Education Project? At the League Convention in 2021, delegates voted unanimously to approve the PHD Civics Education Project. Understanding existing PHDs in our state (there are currently 58) and what healthcare is offered by PHDs in those communities provided the needed grounding for this project and is what the project team tackled first. Currently only 44 PHDs have hospitals. PHDs also provide services such as hospice, outpatient, emergency, and wellness care.  

PHDs can fill health care gaps. As hospital mergers become common place and fewer secular healthcare options are available, the role of PHDs in filling gaps in needed healthcare services, such as end of life options and full reproductive healthcare, may be seen as increasingly necessary.

Three modules help explain PHDs. In response to an initial survey of local Leagues and the project team’s own findings in background research on the topic, the team created a Webinar, PHD 101 (Module I).  The Webinar is a comprehensive introduction to PHDs. The Webinar explores all aspects of PHDs to adequately inform interested League members and to provide education for other community members. Module II, “Engagement”, explores the process of developing a PHD for a community in depth. This module uses a slide deck along with other tools. In Module III, “Formation”, information about how to evaluate the status of healthcare options currently available in the community, whether a PHD currently exists in the community, and how they might either become more involved or consider forming a PHD to meet gaps in needed care.  

The Project Team is Available to Support You. After deciding what Module your League might be interested in, don’t hesitate to request a team member to be available for a presentation, to answer any questions, and provide further information. Leagues may download any Module for review from the webpage prior to a presentation.  

How Leagues might influence healthcare service decisions through commissioner elections and citizen presence at PHD meetings (if one is present in the community) is the primary goal of the project and fits nicely within the LWVWAs wheelhouse of a well-informed citizenry.  

For more information on PHDs in Washington and to request a Team Member, go to our website: League of Women Voters of Washington - Public Hospital Districts: Making Democracy Work for Local Healthcare

The League of Women Voters of the United States recently posted its newly developed Member Rights and Responsibilities on its website.  

National League has done a lot to ensure that all across the United States who are members of their Local, State and National League have a path to become active members and League leaders - to the extent that our lives and interest allows. But what does it mean to be a League member? The League of Women Voters is exceptional in member organizations because it is members who power the organization. This means members have a lot of responsibility in how the League is perceived in communities across America. The Member Rights and Responsibilities points to maximizing this impressive association of our Leagues of Women Voters.  

Member rights include membership at all levels of League. Members can join any League they wish. They can participate in League events and activities such as annual meetings and state and national conventions. They elect their local, state, and national leaders according to their bylaws, and they can run for League leadership. Perhaps most importantly members are entitled to full participation in the League of Women Voters without barriers—as stated in local and state diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies or national League's DEI policy. This is democracy in action.  

Members also have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for collaboration. They are called to do this by abiding by the rules of their local and state Leagues, and the national League. This includes respectful discourse for online activity as well as in-person events. League is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all, particularly for members of historically marginalized groups.  And League's nonpartisan policy is a key area of interest and a strength in partisan times that members should take note of.  

The Member Policy includes much more. It sets a welcoming framework for new and continuing members alike. As a democratic organization that relies on member participation to function well, this policy will assist all Leagues to grow and prosper.  

Kind regards,

Mary Coltrane 

Voter Services is one of the three pillars of activities within the LWVWA. It includes activities that the LWV is well known for: outreach to voters, voter registration, getting out the vote, and candidate and issue forums to educate voters on the candidates and issues they will be voting on. The League’s mission “Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy” is advanced through our Voter Services activities.

This year’s elections cover many local races, from elected school board directors to local mayors and city council members. These are positions that directly affect our lives, and it is just as important to vote in these elections as it is in a presidential election year. Thus, our local leagues are very busy with voter service activities. We are preparing questions for candidates to answer through Vote411, preparing to hold candidate events and working hard to register new voters. 

For resources, please visit the LWVWA website, members only section, and click on Voter Services. There you will find resources for candidate events and tabling and promotional materials. If you need voter registration packets, you can download them, and other resources from the Secretary of State website. If you missed the presentation from Lucy Barefoot, Voter Education & Outreach Specialist from the Secretary of State’s office, you can view it online.  

The Voter Services Committee brings together members from around the state who are engaged in voter services to share programming ideas and resources, provide updates in changes in voter registration and elections law and practices, and provide support and encouragement. We welcome any member to join us. If you’re interested in learning more about what other leagues are doing for voter services, or would like to join the state Voter Services committee, please contact Julie Sarkissian at jsarkissian@lwvwa.org.

By Joanne M. Lisosky, Election Credibility Committee

As the school years ends, so will this year’s LWVWA Student Video Contest, which deadlines June 15. This contest was a pilot project hosted by the LWVWA Election Credibility Committee (ECC). The ECC works to combat the rise in election misinformation and mistrust of the election process by developing educational materials used by both the League and our voter education partners.

The ECC began its work on this project several years ago. The Student Video Contest was then given the go ahead to run the pilot project this year… one year before the general election. The project offers high school students the opportunity to create short videos that focus on the three pillars of the Committee’s work: Right to Vote & Voter Registration; Security of Ballots in Washington; and Washington’s Mail-in Ballot System. The best videos will be viewed on social media, various voting websites and perhaps even television. And the winning student producers will receive prize money.

The Committee received seven applications. “We were told not to expect too much the first year,” Linnea Hirst, ECC Committee Chair, said. “We only promoted this fully in three counties so we are pleased with the turnout.”

The judging of the student videos will take place over the summer with winners announced in September. Judges will be asked to review the videos for content and technical excellence. Judges include: Dee Anne Finken, co-chair of the League’s Local Journalism study; Derek Nunn, Tacoma-area film and video producer; and Christopher Schwalm, Youth Media Producer for PBS NewsHour. A special guest judge is being recruited, but that’s a secret for now.

We will announce the winners in September—stay tuned!

The LWVWA Research Committee, in collaboration with Washington State University, is completing a multi-year assessment of how well LWVWA is meeting its strategic goals. This assessment is based upon the views of its members and its external groups. This is the first of several articles that will summarize these findings and pose questions about the implications to League operations.

The findings are grouped into five categories: Recruitment, Retention and Participation, Community Impacts, Awareness of League and its Activities, and Legislative and Regulatory Impact. These articles are written to stimulate discussion at the local and state League level about using these results to strengthen League goals regarding impact, membership and capacity. They are not intended to be prescriptive nor directive—only thought-provoking.

Recruitment

Membership profile:

• 92% of members have a Bachelor’s or higher degree
• 77% members joined the League between the ages of 41-80 (18% joined between 26-40 years old)
• 2% of members are under 26 years of age
• 2% of members are male
• 74% of members were not born in Washington.

Being a welcoming, diverse organization is a goal of the League. There are almost 30 types of diversity identified in the League's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policy. What does diversity mean in your League and what are ways to address implementing the DEI policy? What is the effect of the current demographics on the League’s effectiveness in accomplishing its democracy mission? (Note: “Valuing diversity means recognizing differences among people, acknowledging that these differences are a valued asset, and striving for diverse representation as a critical step toward equity” from the Conscious Style Guide .)

Reasons to join the League:

Members joined to

• carry out a civic responsibility
• to be part of work empowering voters and defending democracy.
• because they value democratic principles, protecting voting rights, educating voters and conducting activities in a non-partisan way.

How can the League build on these values to attract more members who share them? What guardrails need to be reinforced to maintain the non-partisanship reputation of the League? What activities does the League need to be particularly vigilant about to maintain its non-partisanship values? Do the League adequately communicate the League values to attract new members?

Timing of joining League:

Members joined

• due to an invitation from a friend or through a League event
• because of a general interest in politics or a particular issue
• because of a specific political issue or election
• because of a life changing event, such as retirement when they were looking to meet new members and engage in meaningful work after moving into the state.

How can Leagues expand the one-to-one connection that attracts new members to events? Where are there opportunities to connect with new residents, particularly those who have recently retired? How do we channel new members’ enthusiasm with issue-specific interests without exceeding League capabilities nor diverting or diluting the League’s focus?

The League of Women Voters of Washington’s new position of support for conditions under which local journalism can survive and thrive will be part of the discussion at two Puget Sound-area events this summer.

Additionally, the 133-page study, “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy,” is now available for sale as a paperback from Amazon  for $9.52, as well as a free download from the LWVWA website.

Delores Irwin, who co-chaired the LWVWA’s two-year local news study, will discuss the report as well as moderate a “Saving Journalism, Saving Our Democracy” panel at Town Hall Seattle on Wednesday, June 21. On Wednesday, Aug. 23, Dee Anne Finken, the study’s other co-chair, will present at the Gig Harbor Now Leadership Circle Event, a “friend-raiser” for the nonprofit local newspaper.

The June event, hosted by Town Hall Seattle and The South Seattle Emerald, will feature Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen, KNKX news director Florangela Davila and Michael McPhearson, executive director of The Emerald. The panelists will discuss various funding proposals for assisting local newspapers, including the Democracy Policy Network’s “Local News Dollars” voucher program. Blethen, from the Seattle Times, has long been a proponent of legislation to ease the challenges facing news operations.

The in-person event will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Wyncote NW Forum, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle. Tickets are $5-$20. 

The LWVWA study reported that Washington has experienced negative effects similar to those that have been identified throughout the country as a result of the local newspaper decline.

The loss of 20 weekly newspapers and three dailies, along with significant staffing and coverage reductions, have contributed to reduced voter participation, fewer candidates for local public office, challenges to public health campaigns, increased political partisanship, less community involvement, and increased costs in government, according to the study.

Among the efforts the study considers to combat the challenges is the rise of nonprofit news operations, like Gig Harbor Now. That publication was launched in the wake of the 2018 Gannett Co.-owned Gig Harbor Life closure and reductions in coverage by the Peninsula Gateway, purchased by a hedge fund.

Also speaking at the Gig Harbor event, which will be at the Russell Family Foundation office, will be Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33rd legislative district), who was instrumental in securing $2.4 million in state funding to establish a public-interest journalism fellowship at Washington State University.

The state League position, which membership confirmed at the May convention, reflected an understanding that a viable free press is critical to democracy. The position states: “The League of Women Voters of Washington believes it is the responsibility of the government to provide support for conditions under which credible local journalism can survive and thrive.”

The position also notes League’s support for efforts to ensure voters have access to information to cast an informed ballot and that credible local news sources are integral to this pursuit.