Vote411 has been published for the general election!

There are over 3000 races in this election, and although many are small, we had to find the correct information for each. Please be sure to check the information for your own races, so any errors can be corrected before a lot voters access the guide. With so many races, some errors are inevitable.

There are still some races that will not show up in Vote 411, because of the geographic information systems for some districts. This information determines who votes in the races, but it isn’t all included in the system yet. But we are continuing to work on getting it all in. Most of the missing races are water and sewer districts.  

This is a good time to check whether your candidates have responded, and encourage those who have not to do so. Ballots drop on October 20, and most voters will not check the guide until then. Let the candidates know that they can still submit, even though the guide has been published. 

And, as always, continue to spread the word about Vote411.org.

With the green light from the state Board to pursue national concurrence of the Local News position—as well as a number of other advocacy and education efforts—the state Local News Committee is moving forward and welcomes your participation! Learn more about the work the Committee has been doing.

The Committee meets the third Tuesday of each month, via Zoom, from 1:30-3:00PM. The next meeting is on Tuesday, October 17. Contact Dee Anne Finken with questions or for more information.

On October 9, the State Board approved a motion for the LWVWA to seek national concurrence of the Local News position, which will mean a lot of work in the coming weeks.

Concurrence is the act of agreeing with a position, which then allows for League membership to take action on that position. In Washington, our state League conducted an extensive study on local news and its significance to democracy. We then reached consensus on a position based on that study.  Because we conducted the study and then, as a state, reached consensus on the position, we can take action. For other states and the national League to be able to take action on a position, they can conduct their own studies and reach consensus, or concur with our work.  The latter, of course, is a great deal less work.

The value of another state concurring with our work is that that state could also take action.  With national concurrence, all other tate and local leagues may rely on the positions to develop support for actions taken at those levels. For local news, that is valuable because federal legislation has been proposed to deal with the decline and passage of federal laws could be helpful nationwide.  Other states have also proposed legislation and local jurisdictions may do the same.  Concurrence nationally would allow for advocacy that could result in benefits uniformly across the country at all levels.

Representatives from other state Leagues that have pursued national concurrence have advised LWVWA leadership that a state is more likely to secure national concurrence if there is broad support from individual state Leagues as well. Thus, one key effort will be creating support for our position among the other 49 state Leagues across the country. Already, the Colorado state League has signaled interest in supporting the LWVWA position and the Virginia state League has requested a presentation by the LWVWA League on our position.

Meanwhile, the Local News Committee is also tracking legislation and programs in other states that support local news. These range from proposals for refundable payroll tax credits for newspapers that hire additional staff, all the way to university fellowship programs that will add journalists to newsrooms in underserved communities. 

The Committee is also kicking off a pilot program to provide News Media Literacy training for social studies instructors in Spokane Public Schools. Committee member Joanne Lisosky (LWV Pierce/Tacoma) is taking the lead. Lisosky taught for more than 20 years at Pacific Lutheran University, where she developed a news media literacy curriculum. First vice president Beth Pellicciotti noted that this effort aligns with goals identified in both Civics Education and the Local News positions.  

In early October, the Yakima Herald-Republic published an op-ed submitted by League president Lee Murdock and state director Dee Anne Finken discussing the philanthropic efforts to support the Yakima Free Press Campaign, which includes the goal of expanding digital access to local news to low-income residents. 

“The local news crisis is daunting,” said Sharon Miracle, executive director of the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, which organized and leads the Free Press campaign.  “But we are doing our utmost to ensure we are well positioned to maintain local journalism.” 

In Clark County, the League will join with the Fort Vancouver Regional Library to host a community conversation about the local news crisis and its impact. Titled “Does Local News Even Matter,” the November 16 event will feature Vancouver mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, who is a League member; a dean from the University of Oregon’s Agora Journalism Center; a faculty member from Washington State University Vancouver’s Edward R. Murrow College; and journalists from four local news outlets.  

To learn more about the local news crisis and its impacts on democracy, you can read the LWVWA's study, "The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy," available as a free PDF or for purchase as an e-book ($1.99) or paperback book ($9.52) on Amazon.

By Miriam Kerzner, LWVWA Board Member and Nominating Committee Member

The Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Washington is seeking applicants or nominations for the next board term. Learn more, apply, or nominate someone here.

I had long supported my local League financially when I was chosen to serve on the state board.  In all that time, though, I had never actively participated. While I appreciated the League of Women Voters in general, my knowledge of what it did and how was shallower than a puddle. Surprisingly, becoming involved first at the state level was an excellent first step to learning about the League and provided me with the tools to become a more effective member of my local League at the end of the two-year term.  

There is no better way to grasp the League’s web of organizations than to sit in the middle of it.  Nowhere else do you sense the tension between adhering to National’s broad mandates and respecting the independence and limits of local Leagues.  Similarly, the state board gives participants the opportunity to see how state-wide projects grow out of local concerns and interests, flourish with the active support of state-level institutions, and sometimes influence national or other state organizations.  

The best part is that the network is made up of deeply engaged, caring, thoughtful people all of whom care about the League and for other volunteers.  I had never organized an event before joining the state board.  Organizing the Convention was terrifying. I succeeded because of the generosity and support of the other board members and that of the host league, Benton-Franklin County.  Everyone lent me their experience, their time, their knowledge, and their sympathy. In the process, I have developed a set of friends I know I can call on for help and advice in the future. My experience reinforced that none of us need to be experts; we just need to be willing to show up.  

Ultimately, the foundational work is done at the local League level and being a member of the state board provides you with tools and friends that can enhance that effort and enrich your life in unforeseen ways. 

More than a half-dozen Washington newspapers in mid-August published an op-ed by LWVWA President Mary Coltrane and state board member Dee Anne Finken about the LWVWA study, "The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy."

The authors used the news of the early August police raid on the Marion County Record in Kansas as a jumping-off point for the op-ed, saying the incident “should remind us of the vital role local newspapers play throughout the country, serving us all.”

The Salish Current, Tacoma Weekly, South Seattle Emerald, Wenatchee World, Kitsap Sun, Cascadia Daily News, and The Chronicle of Chehalis and Centralia were among the news outlets that published the piece. The op-ed that appeared in the Salish Current also featured details about local League efforts in Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan counties in support of expanding awareness about the importance of local news.   

President Coltrane said expanding awareness about the impact of the decline is key in the League’s efforts to empower voters and defend democracy.  “As our study indicates, robust local news is critical for people to be able to be active in their communities and participate with their local government.”

After the study was completed, members reached consensus on a League position on Local News. Most recently, the position enabled League leadership to advocate for the successful passage of WA Senate Bill 5199, which enables publishers to seek an exemption from the Business & Occupations tax.

You can read the op-ed in each of the following publications:

• Kitsap Sun
• South Seattle Emerald
• Tacoma Weekly

• The Wenatchee World
  

• Cascadia Daily News
• The Chronicle of Chehalis and Centralia
• The Salish Current
  

by Linda Benson, LWVWA Nominating Committee and LWV Clallam County.

When I was asked to apply to be on the Board of Directors at the state level of the League of Women Voters, I was surprised to say the least. I was involved in my local League and didn’t even send money to state or national when they did ‘asks’ for specific projects. I felt that working with, and financially supporting, my local League was where I could contribute the most.

After some conversations with local members and friends, I decided to fill out the application and see where it went. When I did the phone interview, I was in California because of a death in the family and didn’t feel very motivated. I was honest about my hesitation and, at that point in time, didn’t really care to make any commitments. Well...the rest is history! 

I ended up making the commitment to work at the state level for two years, while maintaining my connections where my heart was, at the local level. This decision was one of the best ones I’ve ever made, not just for me but also for my local League. When I joined the state board I didn’t know how much I didn’t know about the League of Women Voters. Here are some things I learned that very much contributed to my local League: 

• There really isn’t a state or national “League.” You join at your local level and become a member of a federation, with three levels.
  

• The main purpose for the state and national levels are to support the local Leagues and provide resources. 

• Local Leagues “loan” a member for two years to work at another level. 

• The League of Women Voters functions like a representative government (a republic, if you will). It is governed by consensus at local levels. From this consensus, policy positions are established by delegates from local Leagues at state and national conventions.  

• There are many benefits to a local League when there are interactions at those other levels of service. The quick connection to resources alone has been greatly beneficial for my home League. 

Though I'm no longer on the state board, I’m now dedicated to the state Nominating Committee and there are six board positions due for election at the 2024 Council. Terms are staggered so that new members join ‘seasoned’ members who help them with the transition. The state board is a team that works hard to support each other, with the goal of supporting Leagues at the local level to accomplish their goals. Please consider joining the team at the state level. Go to the website for more information and consider a new adventure of learning and fun!

Currently, the Kittitas County League is reimagining its work by seeking partnerships and event cosponsors in vulnerable and underserved communities. The goal is to improve voter registration and voter turnout in marginalized communities and among younger voters.  

For many years, the LWV has conducted voter registration events in the lobby of Central Washington University's (CWU) Brooks Library, at the Library's invitation, on National Voter Registration Day. Building on that relationship, we offered expanded services to staff and students (training staff how to register voters, track a ballot, importance of ballot signature, etc.). After the offer, library staff met with League members to discuss education possibilities. The staff routinely offer Research Smartz events to help students navigate college, the library, and adult life. These events have typically been virtual, live events for students.  

Library staff offered to do a fall Research Smartz panel event called: Discovering Your Civic Power. This event will feature League members, library staff, and students discussing how local governments work, the impacts of voting, how to locate nonpartisan sources of information to make informed ballot choices, answering student questions on civics, voting, and more. The event will be recorded and subsequently posted on the Library's Civic Engagement Research Guide.

To help spark interest in the October event, and civic engagement in general, Library staff Bridgette Flamenco, created a civic engagement book display featuring LWVKC bookmarks, LWV vote stickers, and more, which will remain in place for the month of September (see the above pictures). 

LWV Kittitas County is excited at this opportunity and hope to expand into other areas on campus! For example, there are discussions with ASCWU to co-sponsoring a campus program on presidential primaries and the need to declare a party affiliation in order to participate. The League and ASCWU did a similar event in 2020, which featured a panel including a moderator, the Kittitas County Auditor, Kittitas County Democrat Chair, and Kittitas County Republican Chair. We hope to schedule the campus program in February 2024 (the 2024 Washington State Presidential Primary is scheduled for March 12, 2024).   

WA SOS Office Hosts Voter Registration Training Webinars

Please join the Voter Education and Outreach Specialist at the Washington Secretary of State's Office for a voter registration training webinar on September 13. 

The SOS office recognizes the important work the League does in registering voters in Washington and wants to thank us for keeping our Democracy strong. They're also extending an invitation to a voter registration training webinar they're hosting. Learn about the guidelines to registering voters, best practices for interacting with the public, Online Voter Registration process, and new SMS text message subscription feature.

There are two trainings available—one at 10AM (10AM Meeting Link) and 6PM (6PM Meeting Link). No preregistration required. Meeting materials include a Guide to Registering Voters.

It’s Candidate Forum Season!

If your league is working on candidate forums, we’d love to hear from you at the Voter Services Committee Meeting, Wednesday, September 13 from 4:30 p.m – 6:00 p.m.. During the meeting we will share forum stories and resources. Shelley Kneip, the LWVWA Board Lead for Candidate Forums, will also join the meeting to answer questions. We hope you can attend! Join the meeting here. 

LWVWA wants to help get the word out about local League candidate forums! Make sure to submit your League's candidate forums to our calendar. Please include all of the necessary information about the forum when submitting.

National Voter Registration Day

National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, September 19—we’d love to hear what voter outreach your League might have done! Contact Julie Sarkissian with stories.

This week, the League of Women Voters of Washington filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the Washington Court of Appeals together with two other parties in the case of State of Washington vs. Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Facebook). The State sued Meta for violating provisions of Washington’s campaign finance laws requiring disclosure of information about political ads hosted on Facebook. LWVWA took this action in support of the State of Washington because of its long-standing commitment to defending democracy and empowering voters.

Meta has appealed a trial court decision ruling that it violated the law hundreds of times and imposing a penalty of nearly $25 million. As LWVWA President Mary Coltrane stated, "The League of Women Voters calls upon the Washington State Court of Appeals to uphold the lower court ruling affirming that Meta violated our state's campaign transparency law."

Washington state law requires media platforms that host political advertising—such as Meta-owned Facebook—to retain certain information and respond to public requests about advertising. The League of Women Voters supports full disclosure of campaign finance expenditures so that voters can cast an informed ballot,” said LWVWA President Mary Coltrane. “Microtargeting unsuspecting voters with campaign ads that fail to tell who is trying to influence them harms democracy. Finding out who paid for these ads is challenging at best. Voters, and the journalists that serve them, should be able to readily access information about campaign ads.” she added.

The other parties to this amicus brief include Fix Democracy First, a nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization focused on achieving fair elections and government policies that reflect the will of the people, not the power of money. FDF has been working on campaign finance reform to expand transparency and disclose in Washington state for more than 10 years and is a long-standing partner of LWVWA, and co-host of the annual Lobby Week event. Another organization, and the one that wrote the legal brief, is Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process. The third organization is the Brennan Center for Justice, an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization that works to reform, revitalize, and when necessary, defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice.

Local League Presidents have been provided with background to help them answer questions from members, and additional information about this case is available on the LWVWA website. Please direct press calls to Lyn Whitley, lyn.whitley@lwvwa.org.

What Happened in Your Primary Election?   

Ballots are being counted and are due to be certified August 14. You can search for preliminary results for specific candidates and races here. As we know, summer can be hot and distracting, and thus far, we see that in the turnout for the 2023 Primary Election, which is not hot—28.66% as of August 7.

Once you've checked out the Primary Election results, it's time to think about future Vote411 questions and candidate forums. Please continue to submit questions to Vote411 for the General Election, new questions are needed, and they can serve as a spark for candidate forum questions.  

Vote411.org has made it much easier to find information about the races and candidates both on and off of your personal ballot. Simply visit the site and enter your address, then you can navigate to the "All Races" and "All Candidates" links (on the right side of the page directly below the display of races on your own ballot). If you want to bypass your personal display, start by clicking on "MENU" at the top left corner of the page. Set the state to Washington, scroll down to "Washington Voting Information," and select "Candidate and Ballot Measure Information."

National Voter Registration Day is September 19. It's a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy and has quickly gained momentum since it was first observed in 2012. More than 5 million voters have been registered on the holiday to date. National Voter Registration Day could be an opportunity for Leagues to reach out to different organizations and communities.

Two programs approved at the 2023 LWVWA Convention are seeking interested League members from around the state to volunteer. You can view the proposals for these programs in the 2023 Convention Workbook.

Immigration and Immigrant Integration

The first program is “Immigration and Immigrant Integration," a study addressing an important aspect of immigration policy—that is, what happens to immigrants after they come to the United States. Approximately 29% of Washington residents are immigrants or first-generation U.S. citizens. The study provides an opportunity to delve more deeply into legislative options at the state level for enhancing the lives of immigrants and the role the League could be playing in ensuring immigrants have pathways to economic, social, and civic integration in their communities.

The Study committee is seeking volunteers who have an interest in this issue, and would particularly like to have representation from LWVWA members in Eastern Washington.  For more information, contact Committee Chair Susan Martin.

Multi-Member Districts with Ranked Choice Voting

The second program is "Multi-Member Districts with Ranked Choice Voting," an educational project about current implementation of multi-member districts, such as the uses in Albany CA town council, Cambridge MA town council, Portland OR City Council (in progress) and the Washington State House of Representatives. In 1967, during the Civil Rights Era, Congress passed a law forbidding multi-member districts because they could be used to deny representation to minorities. Recently, jurisdictions have adopted multi-member districts to expressly give representation to minorities.  How does this work? What has changed? The League's guidelines will be used to plan an accurate, balanced, and credited project.

This committee is seeking volunteers to contribute to the education project as well as volunteers who are willing to be liaisons to their local Leagues. If this interests you, please contact Cindy Madigan or Kit Muehlman.