New Redistricting 101 Video  

The LWVUS is excited to launch What Is Redistricting?, a 60-second video that explains the redistricting process, its impact, and how people can get involved. This is a new tool for Leagues to use that can be found on the League of Women Voters YouTube channel.  

Additionally, the LWVUS has created a social media toolkit that includes a link to the video and sample social media posts to use when sharing the video online.  

VOTE411 Voter Guide Platform Training 

You still have three more chances to take the VOTE411 Voter Guide platform training on the new voter guide technology, which all Leagues will use to complete their 2022 voter guides. The training will teach you about the new platform and you will be able to ask questions about the technology or the VOTE411 program in general. These webinars are for both current VOTE411 Leagues and Leagues that have never used the platform before—if you’re curious and want to learn more, register now! The final three trainings will be held on the following dates, with registration required. You need only register for one training, as all trainings are the same.  

Saturday, Dec. 18, 9 a.m. PT 

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 11 a.m. PT 

Thursday, Jan. 6, 3 p.m. PT 

How Native American Women Inspired the Women’s Suffrage Movement 

Read the LWVUS blog post on the vital role that Native American women played in the women’s suffrage movement, although they were excluded themselves from the movement. 

A League Member’s View of the UN Climate Change Conference 

During the first two weeks in November, the United Kingdom hosted the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. One League member received a scholarship to attend this event as a delegate observer for the LWV of the United States. Read her report on the LWVUS website 

With the holiday season upon us, the newsletters will be published on the following schedule: 

• The Voter, will not be published the first week of January. The next Voter will be published on February 4, 2022 (article deadline Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022). 

• This Month in the League will be published on January 21, 2022 (article deadline Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022). 

In the meantime, the Washington State legislative session begins Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, and is scheduled to run through Thursday, March 10, 2022. In anticipation of the legislative session, the first Legislative Newsletter will be published prior to the legislative start and then published every Sunday throughout the legislative session. Don’t forget to sign up for the Legislative Newsletter. 

You can find submission information for both newsletters in every TMIL as well as on the LWVWA website. 

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year from the LWV of Washington! 

By Susan Fleming, Advocacy Lobby Team Portfolio Director, LWVWA

Sad to say, the holidays will soon be behind us. But the exciting work of moving our wonderful state of Washington forward will be commencing when the 2022 legislature begins on Monday, Jan. 10. There is so much on the table for this short, 60-day session, which has already started in many ways. Bills are being proposed, committees are forming and meeting, and the legislative chambers and legislators’ offices in Olympia are being prepared—even if some things will be remote this session.

Lobby Week is also one of those things that will be remote again this year. We need to remember that while conducting business remotely has its challenges, it also has benefits, such as the ability to meet and testify from home! So many more of us have been able to participate because of this—it is perhaps a step forward for democracy.

Lobby Week begins on Monday, Jan. 24 and concludes on Thursday, Jan. 27. The first evening will be a jam-packed, information-filled program, followed by two and a half days of district-level meetings with legislators, and a concluding program on the final evening. The Monday evening program, which begins at 5 p.m., will include:

• Democracy topics, including elections, voting, and money in politics
• Redistricting status and ongoing work
• Climate, land use, and housing
• A moderated panel discussion with legislative leaders
• A How-to-Lobby session, including questions and answers

For more information and to register, visit the Lobby Week page on the League website. A $5 donation is requested to help cover expenses; this will be shared with our co-sponsor, Fix Democracy First. An additional donation to either Fix Democracy First or the League of Women Voters of Washington is welcome and appreciated.

Please join us for this event. It’s a great way to both learn about the upcoming session and get real experience lobbying along with folks in your district.

Because a strong democracy requires informed citizen participation, ACT (Action Coffee Time) via Zoom invites you to learn more about the topics we are called to take action on in our weekly Legislative Newsletter. League members statewide and guests who want to be informed citizen advocates are all welcome to attend. 

Weekly informational and question-and-answer sessions using League, state, and community resources will provide the background information you need on topics related to current Washington state legislation. Get the basics, then use the LWVWA's weekly Legislative Newsletter to let your legislators hear your voice. Public banking, local options (ranked-choice voting), advisory votes, carbon pricing basics, and gun safety legislation will be some of the topics discussed. 

ACT via Zoom sessions will be held every Monday beginning Jan. 3, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. (with an optional 11-11:15 a.m. social time) through March 14. Attend as your interest in a topic and schedule allow. Each session will also be recorded so you can view them anytime. 

To receive a schedule of topics and the Zoom link, email Carol Sullivan. You can also make note of the recurring meeting ID and  password: 

Zoom Meeting 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82841749719?pwd=K3cweWNUbkg0bkM0ZzRML2U1TXVBdz09 

Meeting ID: 828 4174 9719 

Passcode: 619917 

To put these meetings on your calendar, you can import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. 

Registration is now open for the Cultivating Civic Conversations (CCC): About the State of Our Democracy seminar group. This free, 10-week seminar begins Thursday, Jan. 6 and runs through Thursday, March 8 and is presented twice a day (11 a.m. and 5 p.m.) to accommodate different schedules. Open to the public, it offers participants an opportunity to step back and use a “beginner’s mind” when discussing civic education and engagement. If we want to encourage our friends, co-workers, and family to participate in our democracy, then sometimes we need a fresh approach—one that makes fewer assumptions about what “everyone knows” about our history and government. 

The CCC seminar uses the LWVWA’s elementary civics textbook, The State We’re In: Washington, as the anchoring framework. The book is available online at no charge or as a hard copy (purchase through the LWVWA website). Links and purchasing details will be included in the registration and welcome materials. Register and view more information on the CCC Sutra site. 

Cultivating Civic Conversations Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2022 

Join Katherine Murphy and Bonita Gill for a CCC event celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 17 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the general public, will focus on three elements:  

• Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”  

• Dr. King’s 1967 interview with NBC 

• The principle of nonviolent direct action  

Participants will receive the links to this content in advance so that we can have a constructive conversation about Dr. King’s legacy in its original historical context. This session will include music, video, and other content and offers time for large group reflection and small breakouts. We hope that the event will encourage all of us to honor Dr. King’s legacy throughout the year by “getting in good trouble.” Register on the CCC Sutra site. 

To stay apprised of CCC events, sign up to receive the CCC newsletter. For more information about the Cultivating Civic Conversations program, contact Katherine Murphy.  

 

By Alison McCaffree, Redistricting Issue Chair, LWVWA 

Redistricting in 2021 for Washington state’s legislative and congressional districts has been full of surprises. In the 2020 legislative  session, the LWVWA saw support for a reform bill (HB 2575), which passed the House but not the Senate. Three people of color were appointed to the Washington State Redistricting Commission, the first time the commission wasn’t all white. Over a six-month input process, the commission had unprecedented input from communities. More people understood, cared about, and acted in the process than ever before, and communities small and large clearly stated their preferences for their voting districts. 

Unfortunately for public advocates, the commission finished with behind-the-scenes negotiations that included a last-second vote before the constitutional deadline. The chair of the commission officially stated that they did not meet their deadline and handed responsibility over to the Washington Supreme Court. The commission completed and published its maps anyway, indicating in a press conference that the four voting commissioners supported the maps and they hoped the court would accept them. 

In a surprise order on Friday, Dec. 3, the Washington Supreme Court declared that the Washington State Redistricting Commission had substantially met its constitutional deadline. The court declined to redraw the maps. The commission’s final maps will stand as the district lines for elections in 2022 through 2031. The court did not make any decision on the constitutionality of the maps, which could be challenged under the federal Voting Rights Act and the Open Meetings Act. We will see in the coming months how many lawsuits will be filed challenging the commission’s process and the final maps. 

You can find the final maps on Dave’s Redistricting website at the following links. These maps allow you to compare the new districting with the old districts. 

Legislative maps 

Congressional maps 

The maps appear to have been done in haste, and there are many areas where the maps do not follow what we heard from communities. The LWVWA will look to those communities most affected to lead when it comes to challenging the maps. The LWVWA will move ahead on legislative and constitutional reforms to the redistricting process. 

Here's what’s next: 

• Feedback: Many of you participated in the redistricting process over the last years. To help us plan for the next round, we need your feedback. Please fill out this quick survey. 

• Short-term reform: Using the momentum stemming from the discord over the rocky end to the redistricting process, we need to act quickly to create reform. In the 2022 legislative session, we will be lobbying for a redistricting reform bill. Our goal is to implement comprehensive change that modernizes the process, ensures transparency, and gives equal access to all. 

• Long-term reform: We know the world has changed considerably since 1983, when an independent bipartisan redistricting commission was established by law. We are advocating for structural change to our commission that would include ordinary citizens and citizens who do not represent either major party. This will require a bill in the legislature and a vote of the people to pass a state constitutional amendment. 

If you have any questions or comments, or want to be involved in short- and long-term reforms, please contact me, Alison McCaffree. 

The LWVWA Voter Services Committee met in November 2021, right after the election. A round robin of attendees revealed an amazing amount of League work in communities across the state. Here, from four local Leagues, is a sampling of the great work Leagues undertook, with a special focus on how they used the state League Be a Voter toolkit. As a League member, you can be proud of all we in the League do to defend democracy by serving voters. 

The next Voter Services Committee meeting will be Wed., Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m. by Zoom. If you would like to pop in as a guest, please let me know and I’ll send you the Zoom link. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to you and yours. 

League of Women Voters of Clallam County 

The LWV of Clallam County partnered with the North Olympic Library System to provide technical assistance and advertising for League forums. We held five primary forums and four general election forums via Zoom, recorded them, and made them available on our website. 

Distribution of voter education materials included: 

• Be a Voter checklists: 1,400 copies were distributed to families at back-to-school events in Sequim and Port Angeles. 

• Your Vote tabloid: 1,400 copies were distributed throughout our community, including schools, libraries, the auditor’s office, bookstores, and more. 

• Be a Voter bookmarks: 1,500 were given to schools, libraries, community colleges, local bookstores, and more.   

• Be a Voter social media: began posting to Facebook and Instagram on Oct. 9. 

• Whimsical social media: began posting to Facebook and Instagram on Oct. 12.  

League of Women Voters of Clark County 

The LWV of Clark County printed about 100 Be a Voter flyers and distributed them to individuals at voter registration and education events and posted them in coffee shops and senior housing facilities. The Spanish-language flyers, although less distributed, were well-received and appreciated, as were the Be a Voter bookmarks.  

Our League posted 18 Be a Voter social media posts using tools from the state League’s toolkit. Individual members also created posts. Our Communications and Voter Services Committees valued the idea of a statewide LWVWA message. They appreciated the consistent and positive statewide messages, ease of use, and readily available artwork and text to preschedule posts. 

Facebook friends of the League liked that sharing these posts was simple. The LWV of Clark County proudly replaced its Facebook cover photo with the Be a Voter logo.  

We noticed no real difference in the number of views to Be a Voter posts compared to non-Be a Voter posts. The Communications team appreciated being able to preschedule graphics using publishing tools on Facebook and followed the posting dates recommended in the Be a Voter toolkit. It was helpful to have content already created.  

A campaign like this helps to keep the message consistent across the state. Members and another local League shared these posts. In the six weeks leading up to the election, Be a Voter posts were mixed with other posts. The number of reaches was consistent with the League's normal Facebook responses.   

League of Women Voters of Pullman 

For the 2021 general election, the LWV of Pullman held candidate forums for three races in Pullman: Hospital Board (Position 2 unopposed), School Board (Position 2 unopposed), and one of the council seats (the other two seats were unopposed). At the last minute, one of the council candidates canceled. The candidate who was on Zoom was allowed to briefly introduce himself.  

We participated in the Voting Hub at Washington State University. 

We received 300 Your Vote tabloids, which were quickly distributed. They went to members, libraries, churches, a senior center and assisted living, city hall, coffee shops, and laundromats. We also posted Be a Voter social media content.  

League of Women Voters of Thurston County 

The LWV of Thurston County social media campaign using Be a Voter posts was highly successful. We increased our Facebook followers to 711. We experienced engagement numbers related to the following kinds of messages (engagement means liking, saving, clicking on a link, and sharing links): 

• How a person votes is strictly private: 263 

• Ballots come with prepaid postal envelopes: 193 

• Signatures must pass multiple checks: 189 

We distributed Be a Voter bookmarks and the Your Vote tabloid to civics education teachers in eight high schools. Additional distribution efforts included:  

• The Be a Voter Spanish-language flyer to a local Spanish-language church. 

• English-language materials to houses of worship to reach people of color, the Nisqually Tribal Center, local libraries, and retirement communities. 

We held tabling events at the local farmers market and two branch libraries. 

By Amanda Clark, Nominating Committee, LWVWA 

By now, you’ve probably heard a lot about joining the state Board of Directors. Last month, you read about the experiences of two new board members who went through the process of applying and being nominated to serve on the Board. This month, two experienced Board members in their second term share their Board experiences. 

Joan Lawson, Advocacy Portfolio Director, admits that she was somewhat at sea at first. Being asked to work with the Lobby Team was a challenge, but she thought, “What have I got to lose?” This proved to be a big job, but one of the things she’s happiest about is that the advocacy group now includes three board member portfolios, including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion portfolio and the Lobby Team liaison. A benefit of this arrangement is that three board members attend Lobby Team meetings and support the Lobby Team. 

Joan continues to work with Action Chairs at local Leagues. Although they are appointed by their presidents to work on local issues, during the legislative session they are invaluable in assisting the Lobby Team in educating their local members and encouraging them to communicate with their legislative district representatives and senators to pass bills. Joan has been updating procedures and forms and thinks that effort was appreciated—she said she could bring the experience of a lifetime to improving procedures and editing the Legislative Newsletter. 

Would she encourage others to join the board? Yes. “It gives a place for competent people to shine. It brought me into new experiences where I could get along with high-powered people. It pushed me beyond where I was.” 

Linda Benson, Membership Development Portfolio Director, found meeting new people and building relationships statewide as benefits and the most satisfying aspects of being on the Board. Like most new Board members, when she was first elected, she did not know what position she would have on the Board, but she ended up taking over the Membership Engagement and Leadership Development (MELD) program. The four MELD pods (each with their own facilitator) meet monthly to share news, successes, challenges, and support. She also developed her portfolio to include the affinity discussion groups, where League members who share an interest in the same topic can talk about and exchange ideas, like a book club. 

Linda is a busy person: She also chairs the LWVWA 2022 Council Planning Committee, a huge responsibility. (She and her husband share calendars on their phones to avoid scheduling conflicts.)  

Would Linda encourage others to join the board? “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s a job—you have to go in with your eyes open—but the rewards of personal growth and building relationships are worth it.” 

Interested in applying? Information is available in the For Members section of the LWVWA website. Members can both nominate others and apply directly on the webpage. 

Is it possible to encourage candidates to run campaigns that focus on the issues instead of attacking their opponents? Members of the League of Women Voters of Clark County think so, and they've got candidates voluntarily pledging to do so. The Clark County’s Fair Campaign Practices Project asks candidates to conduct positive campaigns and avoid unfair attacks on opponents as well as distortions or misrepresentations.

The pledge sets out four standards of behavior that the Clark County League crafted. An independent five-member panel appointed by the League takes complaints from candidates or registered voters who believe a candidate has violated this fair-campaign pledge.

“We think it’s made a difference,” said Judie Stanton, chair of the Candidate Forums Committee, who noted that nearly 40 of 60 candidates vying for local office in Clark County in 2021 signed the pledge.

“We are all better served—the voters, the candidates, and our community as a whole—when candidates for public office focus on their plans and goals and how each one of them believes they are the best person for the position,” said Nancy Halvorson, president of the Clark County League.

New this year is a colorful logo the Clark County League produced that candidates could display on their campaign materials to show their commitment. One enthusiastic candidate exhibited a large replica of the logo on a parade car he rode in, and a candidate planning a run for office in 2022 has already signed the pledge and wants to use the logo during his campaign announcement.

Materials needed to host a similar project are available in Word format on the Clark County League website for other Leagues to use. If you make changes to the project or create a different logo, please share it with the Clark County League.

It would be a great development to adopt this effort statewide. Voters would benefit by knowing which candidates have voluntarily pledged to run fair campaigns that focus on the issues and do not attack their opponents.

June 10-12

Cross your fingers that we will be able to meet in person next year. If so, pack your vaccine card and mask and join the fun!  We have two host Leagues for the 2022 council, Skagit and Snohomish, so we will get to travel to one of these beautiful counties north of Seattle. If we can’t meet in person, everything will be arranged on Zoom.

RECONNECT  •  RESTORE  •  RENEW

The 2022 Council theme is about connecting in person with old and new friends we have only been able to see within a small box, restoring our determination to carry on with our vital work, and renewing ourselves both personally and professionally. At the 2021 LWVWA Convention, the membership voted to have staggered terms for the board, eliminating the possibility of electing a board comprised of all new members. This means that the 2022 Council will have delegates from local Leagues voting on new state Board members. Each local League will be allotted delegates based on its membership.

An important aspect of the council is local Leagues having an opportunity to share programs and/or sell fundraising items. Tables will be available at the request of local Leagues, so start planning the items and programs your League would like to feature.

There's plenty of time to plan your visit to a truly beautiful part of Washington state. You may want to bring family members and make a holiday of it. Local League leadership should look at their League budgets and plan how they can support members’ attendance.  Some of the cost can be taken from your (c)(3) account to support member participation. Delegates will be the only ones voting, but all members are welcome. We will continue to share information as more details get confirmed—watch this space for updates.

Please plan to attend this important council. We will all share our successes, concerns, and ideas for moving forward…and have fun while we do it!