• One by One, Kittitas LWV Offers Support with Red Cards

    09 Oct 2025 11:12 AM | Anonymous

    By Dee Anne Finken, Communications Portfolio Director, LWV of Washington and Local News & Democracy Issue Chair

    Inspired by the wisdom that one can make a difference even by taking a single step, Kittitas County League members are educating Washingtonians across the state, one by one, about their rights if they encounter a federal immigration official. 

    As of last week, Kittitas League members had distributed 34,000 wallet-sized “Red Cards,” or, in Spanish, “Tarjetas Rojas,” originally produced by the national, nonprofit Immigrant Legal Resource Center.  

    Even as small as it is, the effort launched in Kittitas County by a handful of League members is putting critical information into the hands of people from King County to Spokane and locations in between.  

    Printed in English on one side and Spanish on the other, the cards explain a person’s constitutional rights if they encounter a federal immigration agent on the street or at the door to their home.   

    Those rights include not having to open the door to an immigration agent, not having to answer questions and not signing any documents. 

    Longtime Kittitas League member Charli Sorenson said the Red Card Civics project began in March when she and fellow members reached out to area organizations and agencies serving vulnerable populations, specifically those that assist immigrants, the homeless, people with disabilities; those who identify as LGBTQ+ and students. 

    The goal, Sorenson explained, was to learn how the Kittitas League might best serve vulnerable communities under the administration of a president who had announced he would be dictator on Day 1.  

    Foremost, Sorenson said, Kittitas League members didn’t want to assume they knew best what the people they hoped to help needed. “It was the groups themselves who suggested we print the red cards and fliers,” she said.   

    After all, it was two to three months into a new year with a new president.  And with growing concerns about the rights of immigrants and others, the agencies and organizations had nearly exhausted their own budgets to print the informative cards and fliers, Sorenson explained. 

    Kittitas League members raised $1,500 and set out to print and distribute the cards. In addition to the Red Cards, the Kittitas League is also distributing an 8½ by 11-inch flier produced by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network with messaging similar to that on the Red Card. By September, they had delivered 6,400 cards and fliers to the Apoyo Food Bank, another 4,010 to Central Washington Justice for Our Neighbors and 2,102 more to Central Washington Disability Resource Center, all in Kittitas County.  

    Before long, the Kittitas League was hearing from other agencies, like Central Washington Legal Aid and La Casa Hogar, both in Yakima, where they sent 5,600 and 4,700 cards and fliers, respectively. Unidos Nueva Alianza in Ephrata made use of another 5,150 cards and fliers provided by the Kittitas League. 

    Seeing the expansive need, and with a nod from the LWVWA board, the Kittitas League also used a $2,000 grant from the Education Fund to send cards and fliers to local school districts, public libraries, and local businesses. “We also sent emails to our sister Leagues east of the Cascades  and explained our red card civics project educating state residents on their constitutional rights  and invited the Leagues to join us in distributing the cards and fliers,” Sorenson said. 

    Since then, 2,265 cards and fliers were distributed to the Spokane League and another 1,000 cards went to Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho.  LWVs in King, Skagit and Snohomish have also received cards and fliers to distribute. 

    “The network just got bigger and bigger as we reached out,” said Sorenson.   

    The Kittitas League has printed three runs of cards and fliers and has about 30,000 left to distribute.  

    “It’s just been incredible,” said Sorenson.  

    The Kittitas League also added a Know Your Rights webpage to their website to provide links to red cards, WAISN and ACLU rights fliers, making the information available past the end of the grant. But Sorenson and fellow League members in Kittitas don’t envision stopping after distributing the remaining Red Cards and fliers.    

    “We’re hoping this effort will enable us to collaborate with these organizations in other ways in time.”  Perhaps with additional civics education and citizenship training. 

    One of the challenges, she noted, though, is how fearful many individuals are and how many are reluctant to simply gather in groups. 

    Sorenson said any Leagues interested in securing Red Cards or the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network fliers for their own distribution should contact her at sorensonkvlwv@gmail.com 

  • Leading in Troubling Times

    09 Oct 2025 10:13 AM | Anonymous

    By Angela Gyurko, Secretary, LWV of Washington and Nominating Committee member

    What does it mean to be a leader right now? When I’m not doing my League work, I am a playwright and a poet, and I recently wrote this short senryu to summarize how I feel: 

    the worst stress

    of the year

    —now a weekly feature

    When faced with the levels of stress we’re under, there’s often an instinct to nest, to stock the cupboard and the freezer and check in with the people we care about. But there’s something deeper within us, and that’s why each of us joined the League in the first place. We get refreshed by standing in community with people who believe in the League’s core mission, Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.

    As we look at the news, we sometimes feel paralyzed; there is so much that needs fixing in the world. It’s easy to wonder, “Why do I think I can make a difference? What if I try to help and I make a mistake? What if I try to lead and no one takes me seriously?”  

    Here’s the truth:  Each one of us already has the skills needed to lead. We know how to listen. We know how to take notes. We know how to ask others for help when we don’t know something. It’s a lot easier to lead when you’ve got the resources of a 105-year-old organization behind you. This is what I learned when I became the chair of the Jefferson County Member-at-Large Unit during the pandemic, after less than a year of membership in the League. 

    In the League, no leader at any level is ever alone. The President’s group offers guidance to presidents and boards, Affinity Groups support treasurers, membership chairs, voter services leaders, and others, and MELD provides leadership development. Together, these resources give us the tools we need to lead. 

    Still, I worried about applying for a leadership role at the state level. I had been leading a 28-member unit with no board and only three officers. Would my skills translate to anything at the state level?   

    I am now four months into my state board service, and I can say with certainty that there is never just one path to the destination. Each of our lived experiences is unique, and the range of experience that lives on the LWVWA board is what makes it work so well. 

    As you move through the coming months, think about the leadership opportunities in front of you. Leading might be on a local committee, or a position on your local board. It may be participating more in statewide affinity groups or committees and bringing the ideas you learn there back to your local League.  

    Leading also might be serving on the LWVWA board. 

    If you feel like now might be your time to stretch yourself and lead, I’m happy to talk. You can also reach out to MELD and learn about their opportunities to assist you on your journey. 

    Leading in troubling times starts with knowing that you already have it in you to lead. 

    State directors Nancy Halvorson (MELD, nhalvorson@lwvwa.org) and Sasha Bentley (sbentley@lwvwa.org) contributed to this essay. 

    You can reach Angela Gyurko here.  

  • Decline to Sign IL26-126

    11 Sep 2025 10:34 AM | Anonymous

    Calling it the most significant challenge to democracy she’s seen in Washington in her lifetime, Advocacy Director Cynthia Stewart offered League members in Skagit County a first look at how to fight back against an initiative that would disenfranchise large numbers of legally eligible voters.

    “This is the beginning of a campaign to educate voters about the grievously misleading, onerous IL26-126,” said Stewart, chair of the state Lobby Team and a longtime League member.

    Speaking Monday night at the local League’s monthly membership meeting, Stewart said the initiative promotes the lie that noncitizens are voting.

    The state League and other pro-democracy groups are responding to the initiative with a “Decline to Sign” campaign, she said. That’s an attempt to halt the effort before proponents can collect the 309,000 signatures needed to qualify.

    Stewart’s PowerPoint presentation   explained that the impact would be burdensome to voters and costly for cash-strapped counties to institute and manage.

    Organized efforts across the country are seeking to make it more difficult for individuals to register to vote, maintain their current registration and vote, she noted. Those efforts include trying to eliminate mail-in voting, although IL26-125 does not include that.

    IL26-126 would require all voters to have an enhanced drivers’ license or provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person, Stewart said. Voters who fail to do so would see their registration canceled. The initiative was introduced by Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen.

    As an initiative to the Legislature, lawmakers could adopt the legislation as written, refer it to a vote of the people in November 2026 or propose an alternative initiative that would be on the ballot alongside of it.

    Stewart noted that League opposition to IL26-126 must be conducted separate from nonpartisan tabling activities, such as voter education and registration.

    “We’re at the beginning stages of this effort, to educate our members about the problems with IL26-126,” Stewart said. “In time, the League will unveil a complete ‘Decline to Sign’ campaign.”

    Supporters of the initiative have until Jan. 2, 2026, to submit signatures to qualify the measure.

  • SUFFS Strikes a Powerful Chord in Yakima

    10 Sep 2025 7:14 PM | Anonymous

    “Suffs,” the Tony-award winning musical depicting the story of early 20th-century suffragists in the United States came roaring into Yakima on Monday and Tuesday, the show’s first stop of its North American tour that will take it to 26 other cities, including Seattle, starting this weekend.

    “The play could not have come at a better time to remind all of us of what we take for granted when it comes to voting,” said Cindy Olivas, Yakima County League president. Olivas, along with a handful of other Yakima League members, dressed in period clothing, registered voters and distributed brochures at the Capitol Theatre, where the two performances took place.

    “Not only is it our right to vote as citizens of the United States but it’s a privilege that needs to be protected. It is our responsibility to vote and to protect the vote,” Olivas said.

    “That is what democracy is about.”

    Monday afternoon, Olivas and fellow League members Janis Luvaas, Mary Stephenson, and Susan Martin also welcomed 60 community members for a pre-show event, “Women and the Vote Community Conversation.” That event featured award-winning Yakima Herald Republic reporter Tammy Ayer interviewing five prominent area advocates for social justice.

    The conversation took place at the Women’s Century Clubhouse, a six-bedroom home built in 1908 that was considered the finest in the region and is on the National Register of Historic Places. An added highlight of that event was longtime Yakima resident and retired elementary school teacher Evelyn Malone portraying Sojourner Truth reading the essay “Ain’t I Woman?”

    “Suffs” chronicles the events leading up to ratification of the 19th Amendment, illustrating the difficult path for women to get the vote, including heated battles between Carrie Chapman Catt, and Alice Paul, hunger strikes, and the dismissive attitude of President Woodrow Wilson.

    Olivas had high praise for the performers in “Suffs,” which premiered on Broadway in New York City in 2024. Of the all-female troupe, she noted, “They were very professional and skilled and have amazing voices. So much talent was seen and heard!”

    Olivas also complimented the staging. “The settings were simple but relevant to what the suffragists used during those times. The use of light and candles on the stage added dramatic effects to important details,” she said.

    Some watchers may conclude “Suffs,” being a musical, might be light-hearted and fancy-free. But Olivas said people shouldn’t be misled. “It has a very powerful message of just how hard it is to fight for something when you are not seen as an equal by gender or race. This is a must watch.”

    The League was approached by Capitol Theatre personnel in Yakima to host the performances.

    League volunteers set up tables for both performances that featured two displays, one detailing the history of suffrage movement and the other the Yakima League’s 75th anniversary.

    League members made buttons and distributed stickers and other memorabilia to guests.

    “Suffs” opens in Seattle tomorrow night at the 5th Avenue Theatre, where it runs through Sept. 27 before moving on to San Diego.

  • Grab a Pen (or Head Over to your Keyboard) and Power-Up! Your Democracy Skills

    10 Sep 2025 6:57 PM | Anonymous

    Make sure you're registered for next week’s Democracy Power-Up! workshop titled, “Craft a Winning Letter to the Editor.”

    Presented by the state League’s Local News and Democracy team, the workshop will provide guidance on why your letter is important, elements you should include in your letter, structuring and organizing your letter and writing style.

    “League members, by and large, are frequent writers of letters to the editor,” said Kate Hobbie, the workshop’s lead presenter.

    “We’re looking to give League members, both those who are more practiced in LTE’s and those who are just starting out, some additional points to consider.”

    Hobbie trained initially as a journalist and then wrote extensively for nonprofit clients before retiring.

    Register Here

  • The Snohomish League Celebrates Constitution Week with Countywide Events

    10 Sep 2025 6:46 PM | Anonymous

    Snohomish County residents and visitors are invited next week to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution that took place 238 years ago on Sept. 17 and the signing of the Bill of Rights, which took place two years later.

    “Now’s the time to get reacquainted with these important documents and the rights that they guarantee,” said Snohomish County League President Lisa Utter. The local League is hosting seven events, beginning Sunday, at four area libraries, the Edmonds School District office, Snohomish County Plaza and the Everett Girl Scouts office.

    Utter said each event will feature League members and community volunteers reading excerpts from the constitution and the Bill of Rights. The events will run from 90 minutes to two hours.

    “These events are timely given the major changes our country is experiencing,” Utter said. “It is a good time for people to go back to the original documents that protect our individual and collective rights.”

    Wednesday, Sept. 17, marks the official day of federal observance of U.S. Constitution and Citizenship Day.

    Brenda Mann Harrison, incoming Snohomish County League president, is using colorful displays at the library to show the League’s history and current efforts to empower voters and defend democracy, from local candidate forums to the state’s video contest for students to the national League’s Unite & Rise 8.5.

    Harrison noted the displays also feature quotes printed on paper from a survey of Snohomish League members that asked why people had joined the League. “The responses are all so very powerful,” she added.

    Library Display

    Library Display Case


  • Join the Fight for Fair Laws

    10 Sep 2025 6:26 PM | Anonymous

    Tacoma League member Alison McCaffree knows her way around the Legislature—and democracy. The granddaughter of a four-time state representative, McCaffree also coordinates the state Lobby Team’s democracy team.

    As the second year of the two-year legislative session nears its start in January, McCaffree is looking for volunteers to join her on the democracy team, a collective of League members who track legislation and help determine whether the League will support or oppose bills.

    “We had more than 120 bills introduced earlier this year related to democracy, and only one passed,” said McCaffree. “We can use more help this coming session!”

    McCaffree reassures potential volunteers that they’ll receive appropriate training. Tasks involve tracking bills through the legislative process, asking questions of lawmakers and their legislative assistants and considering whether a bill aligns with a League position.

    “We are empowered to act only when we have a position on an issue,” McCaffree said.

    Bills dealing with a variety of issues are among the topics the democracy team addresses. They include election methods, election law and process, election security, money in politics and campaign finance reform, government structures, initiatives and referendums, citizens’ right to know, local news and democracy and census and redistricting reform.

    If you'd like to learn more or to help, email McCaffree at amccaffree@lwvwa.org .


  • Clark Hosts Home-Rule Charter Review Workshop

    10 Sep 2025 5:06 PM | Anonymous

    Seven of Washington’s 39 counties operate under what’s known as home rule, an organizational structure that enables residents to weigh in more directly on how their government operates.

    Earlier this week Clark County League members hosted “What Can Your Charter Do for You?”, a workshop to help voters learn more about home rule. The workshop was timed in advance of a November vote to elect 15 people to update—or review—the county’s governing document, otherwise known as the charter.

    Longtime League member Judie Stanton explained that the workshop gave voters a much better understanding of the significance of their vote when they elect new members of the Clark County Charter Review Commission. Stanton has a solid grasp on the issue, having served as a Clark County commissioner (1997-2004) before Clark voters approved their first home-rule charter in 2015.

    Stanton said she believes Clark County voters adopted the home-rule form of government in part because it called for county councilors to be elected by district rather than countywide. “People felt like they might have a representative on the council who would vote more as they wanted them to vote.”

    Stanton, who also previously served as Clark County League president, explained that voters in Clark County first, in 2014, elected a panel of freeholders to prepare the initial charter. Voters adopted the charter the following year.

    Now, every five years, in Clark County, new commissioners must review the charter.

    Clark County Charter Review Commission

    The Clark County League hosted a workshop earlier this week called “What Can Your Charter Do for You?” at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library. From left are Teresa Torres, LWV Clark County: Jackie Lane, LWV Clark County; Doug Lasher, Clark County treasurer; Nan Henriksen, former Camas mayor; Greg Kimsey, Clark County auditor; and Pat Jollata, former Vancouver City Council.


    State law makes the commission form the standard form of a county’s government unless voters adopt the home-rule charter system.

    Whatcom, Clallam, King, Snohomish, Pierce and San Juan counties also have adopted the home-rule system.

    The LWV of Bellingham-Whatcom’s Civics Ed group produced a video about the county home-rule charter system last year. Check it out here.

    The LWV of Snohomish County is hosting a live-streamed panel presentation "Charter Review Commission? Say What?" on Oct. 11 on YouTube. The presentation will explain the work of the commission and the election process, as well as answer questions from viewers. Learn more. 

  • Democracy Power-Up! A Workshop Series for League Members

    08 Aug 2025 10:14 AM | Anonymous

    The League of Women Voters of Washington is launching Democracy Power-Up!, a workshop series designed to sharpen members’ skills for defending democracy.

    From crafting persuasive letters to the editor to mastering media and news literacy, these virtual sessions offer practical tools for speaking out and thinking critically in today’s challenging information environment.

    Join us to strengthen your voice, build your knowledge, and take action. Democracy works best when we all power up.

    Register Now: The Power of Critical Thinking Media Workshop

    League members can now register for the Power of Critical Thinking, the first of four Media & News Literacy Workshops offered by the LWVWA as part of the Democracy Power-Up! series. This first workshop will be held virtually Sept. 9, from 6:30-8 pm. 

    Register Today

    This online, interactive session will teach tips and strategies you can use to be a critical thinker and an active media and news consumer. You'll learn how to build your skills through real-life examples and group challenges. 

    Before Attending
    To get the most out of Workshop experience, we ask you to do two things before attending: 

    More About the Media & News Literacy Educational Workshops
    These workshops are designed to teach League members skills to help them discern what is true at a time when it is becoming increasingly harder to know the real facts. 

    Attendees will be presented with news examples, group challenges, individual skill development and links to additional resources. Each workshop will be led by League members with decades of experience in teaching media and news literacy. 

    Workshop Schedule and Registration Links
    All of the workshops will be held virtually on Tuesday evenings, from 6:30-8 pm.

    Registration for the workshops is restricted to League members only. Each session will be recorded and prepared to be shared publicly. The workshop schedule is: 

    Further Information
    Additional details about the workshops and the Media Literacy and News Education Project can be found HERE. The LWVWA's Local News and Democracy Advocacy and Education Committee is coordinating these projects. 

    Contact
    Have questions? Send an email to the Committee! Contact MediaNewsED@lwvwa.org. Please allow 48 hours for a response.


    Learn to Craft an Effective Letter to the Editor

    Join members of the LWVWA Local News and Democracy Team for a 90-minute hands-on, virtual workshop on writing an effective letter to the editor. 

    Register Today


    "A Democracy Power-Up: Crafting a Winning Letter to the Editor" will be offered free to all members on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 6:30-8 pm. It's part of the LWVWA Resisting Threats to Democracy effort and the Democracy Power-Up! series. 

    Your voice is your power—and particularly during the constitutional crisis we face—the League encourages members to speak up and out about threats to our democracy.

    Whether your local news outlet is the Seattle Times, the JOLT, the Yakima Herald-Republic, the Cheney Free Press or the Columbian, take this opportunity to refine your skills. 

    The workshop will offer tools and techniques on organization, clearer and more precise writing, and other topics. Register in advance.

    For questions, contact Dee Anne Finken, Local News and Democracy Chair.


  • Learn to Craft an Effective Letter to the Editor

    07 Aug 2025 1:08 PM | Anonymous

    Join members of the LWVWA Local News and Democracy Team for a 90-minute hands-on, virtual workshop on writing an effective letter to the editor. 

    "A Democracy Power-Up: Crafting a Winning Letter to the Editor" will be offered free to all members on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 6:30-8 pm. It's part of the LWVWA Resisting Threats to Democracy effort and the Democracy Power-Up! series. 

    Your voice is your power—and particularly during the constitutional crisis we face—the League encourages members to speak up and out about threats to our democracy.

    Whether your local news outlet is the Seattle Times, the JOLT, the Yakima Herald-Republic, the Cheney Free Press or the Columbian, take this opportunity to refine your skills. 

    The workshop will offer tools and techniques on organization, clearer and more precise writing, and other topics. Register in advance.

    For questions, contact Dee Anne Finken, Local News and Democracy Chair.

The League of Women Voters of Washington is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.
The League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. LWVWA Education Fund contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. The League of Women Voters Education Fund does not endorse the contents of any web pages to which it links.

League of Women Voters of the United States

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software