By the News Study Committee, LWV of Washington

As they begin the task of writing their report, members of the LWVWA committee studying the impact of the decline of local and regional newspapers in Washington state note that at last count they had interviewed 32 elected officials, scholars, civic and public health leaders, journalists, and researchers. They have also reviewed more than 400 articles, ranging from formal academic studies to newspaper accounts and podcast transcripts.  

“We’ve had some great interviews with people across the state, from editors of small-town weeklies to federal- and state-level elected officials,” said Dee Anne Finken of the Clark County League, who chairs the committee with Kittitas County League President Delores Irwin. “People have been very interested in sharing their insights with the group because they believe local and regional news operations are important to the health of our democracy.” 

Before the committee completes the research for its initial submission, its members expect to complete a few more interviews, including with Senator Maria Cantwell, who has sponsored a key piece of legislation to support local news operations. 

The committee is specifically studying newspapers because studies show the bulk of local news that television, radio, and other venues report originates with local newspapers. Finken said the committee is working to look at the situation in Washington state and how the decline of local and regional news operations impacts civic engagement, political participation, partisanship, and public health and government oversight, including oversight of publicly financed projects. “There have been a number of national studies that draw some direct links to these developments, all of which impact our communities.”  

The situation in Washington state isn’t as dire as it is in many states in terms of newspaper closures. "We have only one county where no newspaper is published, compared to other states, where upwards of a handful of counties have no publication to call their own,” Finken said. “Still, Washington has been hit hard in terms of staff cutbacks and layoffs, and newspapers that have been dramatically reduced in quality and size.” 

The project will also report on responses to the reduction in news operations, including an uptick in nonprofits, community outreach efforts, and legislation. 

“We’ve had good interest in our study,” Finken said, noting that committee members have presented brief overviews of their study work to two local Leagues this year. The committee will submit its report to the reading committee June 1 and plans to make a presentation about its findings at the LWVWA state council in Everett in June. 

Reading committee members include Lucy Copass of the LWV of Whatcom County, Carolyn Maddux of the LWV of Mason County, Karen Raymond of the LWV of Kittitas County, Beth Erickson formerly of the LWV of Clark County, and Judie Stanton of the LWV of Clark County, who is also the committee chair. 

You have your vaccination card and mask in hand as you walk into a beautiful hotel, the Delta Hotels-Marriott in Everett, Washington. Fellow League members from all over Washington state are perusing local League table displays of current projects, books and brochures, and perhaps silent auction baskets.   

At the council, delegates from your local League (you may be one) will vote on new state Board members and discuss the upcoming LWVUS 2022 National Convention issues as well as reconnect, restore, and renew themselves.  

Friday, June 10 at 1 p.m. starts the formal council with panels and roundtable discussions with local League leaders (and those who want to be). There will be talk of challenges, working sessions on strategies to achieve the League goals of continuing to network the organization (instead of a pyramid), making an impact on our members and our communities, and sharing how Leagues are navigating these times.  

Saturday, June 11 highlights include: 

• Nonpartisanship: What makes it so? What about empty-chair debates? Forums? 

• Diversity, equity and inclusion: What works for my League? 

• Civics education: What can I do? 

• How do some Leagues energize new and long-term members?  

• Environment: What is the League doing? How can I be involved? 

• Legislative advocacy: What happened this year? What’s next? 

• Speaker Nick Lovrich, co-editor of Outside Looking In: Lobbyists’ Views on Civil Discourse in U.S. State Legislatures. 

• Speaker Jessica Rohloff (LWVUS Board member and Washington liaison) will give a full report on what’s happening at the national level, particularly as it affects local Leagues. 

Sunday, June 12 is the Board of Directors’ election/retirement, a wrap-up to identify actions to take going forward. For the election, each local league and member-at-large unit is allocated one delegate for its first through 15 voting members, and one delegate for every 25 additional voting members. Just like at the convention, 30 delegates make a quorum (see the bylaws for more details).  

This will be the first time we have been able to meet in person for two years, and we’re ready! We’ll have masks, vaccine cards, social distancing (six seated at tables designed for 10), and an air-filtration system bringing in fresh outside air through frequently changed filters. And it will be summer! Come see what our neighbors in Snohomish and Skagit Counties love about where they live. 

Registration for the council is $125 (early bird) and includes a Friday pizza party, Saturday lunch and dinner, and beverage breaks Saturday and Sunday. Registration covers your food while the LWVWA Education Fund is paying for the space, tech, and other essentials. Early-bird registration closes at midnight on May 14; after May 15 the cost will be $150. 

More specifics (such as transportation, schedule, and how the election will be handled) will be published as we get closer to the council.

Register Now

By Susan Fleming, Lobby Team Chair, LWV of Washington 

The Washington legislative session gaveled to a close last week on March 10. One apt description of this session likened it to a fire hose! So many bills, so much action, so many hearings—with so much accomplished. Major directions were set, money was allocated. Some of the bigger challenges addressed include housing, transportation, growth management, and climate change. You can read many of the details about the legislation the LWV of Washington supported (and opposed) in the last Legislative Newsletter of the season, published this week. 

This is not a 90-day-per-year job. Now that we’re in the off-season, there is plenty of work to do to prepare for the 2023 session, which will be a “long session” of 120 days. There is the usual administrative “stuff,” of course, and a bit of a break until next year. Did you know that many policy bills are introduced multiple times to the legislature before they finally become law? And that only a small percentage of the bills that are introduced are passed into law? Making change requires a long-term commitment. 

Our Lobby Team members work throughout the year to stay in the loop on bills being proposed, and perhaps even influencing them. Our work on legislation is anchored in our positions and principles, which are described in our Program in Action. They guide us in acting on selected governmental issues and is one of our purposes as an organization. The work is exciting, demanding, and most interesting. Please do contact us if you’d like to learn more. We would love to talk with you! 

Lobby Team members deserve huge congratulations for the work they did as well as the results they achieved this session. Our Lobby Team was engaged 24/7 during the 90-day session. Here is some of what our issue chairs and advocates were up to—you can find more detail in the Legislative Newsletter and on the Issue webpages. 

Social and Economic Policy Issue Team 

• Kim Abbey, Healthcare Issue Chair: Supportive housing for persons recovering from health care problems, including behavioral; preserving the ability to access abortion care. 

• Stoney Bird, Public Bank Advocate: Establishing a public bank. 

• Susan Fleming, Lobby Team Chair: Police accountability measures.  

• Cynthia Stewart, Revenue and Tax Policy Issue Chair: Tax changes and exemptions regarding the provision of affordable housing.  

• Cynthia Stewart, Housing and Homelessness Issue Chair: Supportive housing for those with disabilities, financial help with housing for victims of domestic violence, and funding for building affordable housing. 

Democracy Issue Team 

• Catherine Ahl, K-12 Education Issue Chair: Providing more physical, emotional, and social support within schools as well as interpreters for individualized education program meetings. 

• Cindy Madigan, Money in Politics Issue Chair: Fiscal impact of ballot measures; advisory votes. 

• Alison McCaffree, Redistricting and Census Issue Chair: Promoting comprehensive redistricting reform. 

• Carol Sullivan, Elections Advocate: Eliminating “open carry” of firearms into government meetings, enabling citizens to more easily participate on state boards and commissions, and voting in county jails. 

Environment Issue Team 

• Sherri Dysart, Forests Issue Chair: Conserve and restore kelp forests and eel grass meadows on our shores and promote coastline restoration. 

• Martin Gibbins, Climate and Energy Issue Chair: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clarify the Climate Commitment Act of 2021, and require a risk assessment of our power supplies. 

• Phyllis Farrell, Environment Advocate 

• Raelene Gold, Rivers and Treaties Advocate: Ensure financial responsibility for oil spills and improve spill prevention, support treaty-reserved fishing rights and state-tribal cooperation on the management of fish and resources. 

• Ann Murphy, Waste Management Advocate 

• Cynthia Stewart, Growth Management Issue Chair: Improve the state’s climate response through updates to our comprehensive planning framework and authorize tribes to participate in local growth management planning processes.  

• Cynthia Stewart, Transportation Issue Chair: Loans and grants for broadband infrastructure and additional revenue sources for regional transit areas. 

Additionally, our Issue Chairs were actively engaged in budgeting discussions. 

New Advocates: Jody Disney, Mary Lynne Courtney, Janet Hedgepath 

Contract Lobbyist: Nancy Sapiro, who provided excellent strategy advice  

Board Members: Joan Lawson, Julie Sarkissian, Susan Fleming 

Legislative Newsletter: Carolyn Stewart and Amy Peloff, editors, implemented a new methodology and format for the Legislative Newsletter. 

By Dee Anne Finken, Communications Team Chair, LWV of Clark County 

Learn firsthand about the challenges that faced political, civic, and business leaders involved in the hundred-year struggle for Black voting rights during a free interactive workshop,“ Martin Luther King Jr. and the Struggle for Black Voting Rights,” Wednesday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., hosted by the League of Women Voters of Clark County and the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries. 

The program details the strategies that civil rights activists employed, with a special emphasis on the civil disobedience protests of the mid-20th-century civil rights movement, culminating with King leading protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.   

Employing the critical-thinking approach promoted by the Harvard Business School Case Method, the online workshop will put audience members in the role of chief decision-makers. For example, the facilitator will pose questions such as “Would you have crossed that bridge?” 

“The workshop provides participants an opportunity to think on your feet and sharpen your analytical skills,” said Mary Schick of the Clark County League’s Civics Education Committee. “The experience empowers a person to make critical decisions in real time.”  

Just some of the many topics the workshop will cover are racial segregation from 1865 to 1965, Jim Crow, Black disenfranchisement and poll taxes, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education, the civil rights movement, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

Register online through the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries website. Reading materials will be sent to registered participants before the event. For more information, contact the library at 360-906-5000, or the LWV of Clark County. 

By Roslyn Duffy, Fundraising and Development Portfolio Director, LWV of Washington

“You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation.”

Those words from Marian Wright Edelman, an American activist for children's rights, founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund, and the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, remind us that even a tiny creature, a single individual, or the smallest action can have a huge impact.

Although no one particularly wants to be a flea, Edelman’s metaphor underscores the persistence she used her entire life to achieve great goals and reminds us of our relentlessness in making democracy work. (To learn more about Edelman, visit https://www.childrensdefense.org/staff/marian-wright-edelman/)

To discover what kind of League flea you are, take this fun quiz.

Please consider making a contribution to the League today to continue supporting our work together.

The following lists the ABCs of how to be a flea for the League, including the estimated time commitment.

A Attend an online protest As long as you want	B Be a marcher and show up to support League positions Half-day or whole day	C Click on links in the Legislative Newsletter to support League positions Less than 2 minutes
D Dream big and act relentlessly As much as you want	E Educate others about our election system Every chance you get	F Fight to protect voting rights All the time
G Give generously to support League work Anytime	H Help “cure” votes by tracking down and verifying signatures Day or more	I Invite others to participate in League work Often
J Jump in no matter how small the action Always	K Kindle hope in yourself and others Frequently	L Live your values Every day
M Mentor others and encourage everyone to act Whenever possible	N Nurture civic engagement in your community As often as you can	O Organize letter-writing campaigns A few hours a year
P Protect the vote by being a volunteer election observer One day or more	Q Quitting is not an option, because you matter and are needed Always	R Run for office and make a difference Indefinite
S Spread the truth by posting accurate information on social media Whenever you can	T Testify at a council or legislative hearing One-hour by Zoom or a half-day-plus in-person	U Understand League positions and articulate them to legislators One-hour by Zoom or a half-day-plus in-person
V Vote and be sure that others can vote too Every election	W Write to your elected representatives by email or regular mail Up to an hour	X Xanadu is not our goal, as we need to be persistent Always
Y You have something important to say so make your voice heard As long as it takes	Z Zeal is your fuel so maintain a full tank Recharge regularly and often

Overview 

The League of Women Voters of Washington adopted a Strategic Plan in 2017 to achieve three goals: increase impact, facilitate local League work, and strengthen organizational capacity. This report summarizes the results of 100 interviews with both randomly selected members and those who work in specific League areas (e.g., voter services, civic education, or advocacy). This interview information informed a follow-up membership-wide survey. The interviews and all-member survey are two of three research elements. The final one focuses on the League’s impact on external agencies, organizations, and voters and will include both surveys and interviews. The project's design and implementation were conducted with the assistance of Washington State University’s Department of Psychology and Division of Governmental Studies and Services. 

The semistructured appreciative inquiry interviews were conducted over Zoom by members trained in the appreciative inquiry technique. They were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify primary and secondary themes. This report identifies these findings and is the first step in the LWVWA using evidence-based recommendations for continuing, discontinuing, or modifying strategies and tactics used in pursuing the LWVWA’s three main goals.  

Findings 

The most frequently cited experience for checking out the League was through a friend's invitation, second was through an event or advertisement. Also cited was an interest in politics, either in general or for a specific issue. Notably, members frequently mentioned the personal relationships that grew out of their involvement with League members.  

Twenty-three members said that through League events they were able to fulfill a sense of civic responsibility. When asked about their values, goals, and objectives, members shared with the League the importance of nonpartisanship, equity (voter rights), and civic education. Many specifically referenced democracy. Frequently cited high points for members included activities that involved informing and educating the public and decision-makers, followed by making connections with League members and serving in leadership positions.   

Positive changes cited in the interviews were the use of technology, including Zoom-hosted meetings and social media; the increase in new members and attendance; efforts in working toward more diversity; and intra-League connections.  

When asked about the future of the LWVWA, the most frequently mentioned answer was an interest in having more organizational diversity in terms of age, race, culture, and political party—a League that is representative of the whole community. Reputation/recognition was the next most frequently mentioned desirable future, followed by doing more civic education, receiving more guidance from the state League, and stronger connections with other Leagues.  

When asked about how to attain the best future for the League, respondents identified more engagement from volunteers, collaborating with others, and increasing connections internally and externally through technology. Evaluating success in this future included an increased and more active membership, more diversity, and collaboration with other organizations and Leagues.  

When asked what else members wanted to share with the interviewers, they reinforced the importance of supporting and mentoring new members and working to help them better understand the League. This should include how new members can use their interests and talents in the League.  

Conclusion 

These are preliminary findings based on interviews. The interviewees included state Board members, local presidents, and members of state committees, including Advocacy/lobbying, Civic Education, Voter Services, Observer Corps, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Many interviewees had experience with multiple programs and aspects of the League. One-third of the interviewees were randomly selected and proportionally represented local Leagues. This, coupled with the all-member survey, will guide the future work of the League. Download the full Appreciative Inquiry Interviews Report. 

Reconnect!  Restore!  Renew! 

(We need this!) 

The League of Women Voters is Defending Democracy! And we have plans. Plans for what, you might ask. For the next LWV of Washington Council, which will be held in Everett, Washington, June 10–12, so put these dates on your calendar. The LWVWA Board coordinates statewide councils and conventions on alternating years.  

This June, every League has the opportunity to share plans and activities with other members across the state as well as reconnect, restore, and renew itself. We have 20 Leagues and Units-at-Large across Washington state and every one of them has a plan. First, many of the Leagues have “loaned” a member to serve at the state level at different times. These local league representatives are responsible for assisting all local Leagues across the state.  

At the council, members can learn about the League itself, not just the things the League does but how we do it. Your League may have a great way of doing something—you can share that with others and get some ideas from different Leagues. We'll also elect some new state Board members so we can have staggered Board terms. Like the convention, we’ll need 30 delegates from local Leagues for that election. The council has a structure, but isn’t run by Robert’s Rules of Order—it’s more like "friend time."  

On alternate years, the state convention is the business meeting where delegates decide the two-year state budget and what programs and studies the state will take on; elect some officers, directors, and the nominating committee; and change the bylaws, if necessary. Both meetings are opportunities for the grassroots—who are actually the raindrops from clouds—to give direction to the League. At this year's council, we will review what we’ve learned implementing our 2017 strategic plan and decide strategies for the next few years. 

How to get leadership in local Leagues, what services the state League could provide to make your life easier—these are some of the things we’ll discuss at the council. We'll have a showcase of local Leagues and a silent auction of goodies from Leagues across the state. There’s talk of a show of recycled fashions (bring your own).   

The 2022 council is being hosted by the Skagit and Snohomish County Leagues (thank you) and if you haven’t been to these counties, you’ll enjoy learning about this part of the state and taking a stroll with others (you don’t have to meet in a room).  

The registration fee will be around $150 (higher than we’d like but less than the full cost of the facility) and will just cover meals, technology, and room rental. We’re also looking into childcare options. Remember, it is the local League’s responsibility to pay or help pay for council expenses so that every member who wants to attend should be able to (of course you can pay for it all, but local Leagues typically do some fundraising to support their members who attend).  Many Leagues double and quadruple people in a room, so that’s an option to explore. Politics does make strange bedfellows. 

Our work has never been more important. This year’s LWVWA Council will provide an opportunity for members to connect about the exciting things they are doing all over the state. There will be much more information to come. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, contact Linda Benson.  

LWVUS 2022 Convention 

The 2022 Convention will take place June 23–27 in Denver, Colorado, and online. Registration and hotel reservations are now open. Current information is available in the new 2022 National Convention section of the LWVUS website, which includes sections for Registration, Agenda, FAQs, Travel Info, and other information. 

Celebrating Black History Month 

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the history of Black people and celebrate them. We cannot tell the story of American history without telling the stories of Black people. The League encourage you to take time to learn something new about Black history and culture this month. The League is celebrating Black History Month by highlighting Black women who power democracy. Read the latest blog, Black Women Who Define(d) The Voting Rights Movement, on the LWVUS website. 

Building a Data Culture Listening Session  

On Tuesday, March 8, at 4 p.m. PT, the LWVUS will host a Building a Data Culture Listening Session. Hear how Leagues across the country are advancing a data culture in their communities. Registration required. You'll also hear about the results of the latest Semi-Annual Survey. 
 

2022 Program Planning Leader’s Guide & Survey 

The Program Planning Leaders' Guide and Program Survey response form are now available for Leagues to use at their program planning meetings in early 2022. The input of League boards will help shape the proposed program of study and action that will be voted on by convention delegates in June. Program planning report forms must be returned online by Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Each League is entitled to one response, and individual member responses are not accepted. Access the Leader’s Guide and the 2022 Program Survey. For questions about program planning, email progplan@lwv.org. 

In Case You Missed It 

• Blog: 5 Ways to Defend Democracy in 5 Minutes, by LWV president Dr. Deborah Ann Turner 

• Blog: The League's 2021 Accomplishments, by CEO Virginia Kase Solomón 

• Report: Election Audit Report comparing 2009 League Guidance and the 2021 Bipartisan Policy Center Report 

At the League’s 102nd birthday celebration in Snohomish County, the theme on the slide presentation may have been “Consistent Values, Continued Growth,” but the actual theme appeared to be “Defending democracy with a free local press.” Special guests Dee Anne Finken and Delores Irwin represented the LWVWA team studying the impact of the decline in local and regional news and gave a presentation outlining the sources examined and the interviews conducted so far. 

Presenting the work of that study led right into the Democracy in Action award presented by the Snohomish County League to The Daily Herald newspaper. Jon Bauer, the editor of the Herald’s editorial page and a longtime moderator of the League’s candidate forums, was present to receive the award.  

 

Jon Bauer, opinion page editor of The Daily Herald, with the Democracy in Action award.  

LWV of Snohomish County Board member Karen Crowley sited the following reasons for awarding The Daily Herald: “So many newsrooms today are shrinking or vanishing completely. In answer to this challenge, The Daily Herald has worked to build local support, requesting and securing donations that have resulted in the hire of a new investigative journalist, an environmental journalist, and a reporter focusing on the working class. We have read fresh stories, heard new perspectives, and quite simply learned more about what is happening in our own backyard. We are fortunate to be served by this innovative and resourceful local news institution. As we know, a healthy democracy requires a healthy press. We need the watchdogs. We need the investigators. For these reasons, I nominate our own Daily Herald for the LWVSC Democracy in Action Award. It is critically important that we recognize and applaud their work.” 

For its part, The Daily Herald demonstrated its appreciation for the award in an editorial that said, in part: “As the League of Women Voters of Snohomish County marks its 102nd birthday, the organization that has been vital to the promotion and preservation of democratic representation for the past century, will honor The Daily Herald with its Democracy in Action award in recognition of The Herald’s ‘defense of democracy through superior journalism.’” 

The Snohomish County League was pleased to give the Democracy In Action award to The Daily Herald, and that the Herald’s staff got a glimpse of the local news study currently underway assures an ongoing partnership between the League and the newspaper. Communities thrive on such partnerships.  

By the LWV of Washington Nominating Committee 

Interviews are beginning but the LWV of Washington Nominating Committee encourages those interested to apply for the LWVWA Board of Directors.  

Service on the state board offers an opportunity to work collaboratively toward LWVWA goals, build your leadership skills, and help set the future for the LWVWA. If this sounds like you, apply or recommend other candidates to serve on the LWVWA Board.  

The slate of candidates will be announced to the membership no later than April 15, 2022. The slate will then be presented for a vote at the 2022 LWV of Washington Council in June.  

The Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations for the slate to be elected at the 2022 Council, which includes four Board of Director positions, the 1st Vice President and the Treasurer.  

We are looking for individuals who are: 

• Dedicated to the League’s mission, “Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.” 

• Committed to the LWVWA’s strategic plan, our nonpartisan policy, our commitment to DEI, advocacy, voter services, civic education, and communications. The position serves on both the LWV of Washington Education Fund (c3) and LWV of Washington (c4) Boards. 

We encourage individuals with varying work and volunteer experiences to apply. Those with experience in government, business, philanthropy, nonprofit work, or volunteer organizations should apply. We seek individuals who are creative and hard-working.  

More information about how you can contribute your time and talent by serving on the LWVWA Board is available on the LWVWA website. If you would like to know more, contact the Nominating Committee at nomcom@lwvwa.org.