After two years of development, the Public Hospital Civic Education project was inaugurated at the state Convention in May. At a workshop, the project background and work products were described; and at the evening caucus the webinar was shown. This project is now ready for prime time! 

Would you like a local League unit meeting or general membership meeting program? Would you like to host a public forum? The Public Hospital District education tools are ready to be used. There is a webinar explaining Public Hospital Districts, what they can do and how they work; and materials that provide an understanding of how to work more effectively with a PHD Commission in your area and how to form a PHD if you don’t have one are ready to be used. These resources can be used alone or in combination with a speaker from the project team who can make a presentation or answer questions. 

The materials are on the PHD web page and the PHD Team stands ready to support local Leagues by attending your meetings to answer questions or make presentations. 

Contact Nancy Field if you would like to arrange a program with the participation of one of the PHD team members. 

Read about the role of Public Hospital Districts in our health care system and details about the modules available from this project here.

The League of Women Voters of the United States adopted a Member Rights and Responsibilities Policy last May. This policy lays out the rights and responsibilities associated with being a member of the League of Women Voters—at all levels of our federated structure. The purpose of the policy is to ensure all active members are committed to maintaining the mission and integrity of LWV.  

In reading this new policy, three ideas struck me as significant takeaways: 

1. Member responsibility for promoting respectful discourse. We live in tricky times where civil discourse is not necessarily a given. To that end, the policy reminds us that this is the rightful expectation of every member when engaging in League activities. 
   
   
2. Speaking with one voice. Active members are active because they want to make a difference. This is tremendously important. At the same time, making a difference is possible because embedded in League culture is the idea that though we are working on many different projects in different arenas, we work together. The member policy calls this out by noting that statements on behalf of the LWV must be authorized by the local, state or national League. 
   
   
3. Complaint process. For the first time, National League has provided state and local Leagues with guidance to develop a complaint process. The state Board is developing such a process now so that every member has the ability to make a complaint about a concern in a productive manner. 
   
   

The member policy notes that the League provides members with opportunities to make a difference. As volunteers, we bring time, passion and energy to our work. Understanding our rights and responsibilities as active members will ensure each volunteer gets the most out of their volunteer experience.  

Perhaps most importantly, the member policy supports both the League's Diversity, Inclusion and Equity policy and our nonpartisan policy—at all levels of the League. The clarity this policy brings to member rights and responsibilities, along with our DEI and nonpartisan policies, can shape the League in a constructive manner for years to come. Your takeaways may be different than mine. I urge you to take a close look and chat with other folks you're working with. It's a conversation worth having.

Mary Coltrane
LWVWA President

Following the conclusion of their two-year study focused on the Chehalis Tribe, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, and the Squaxin Island Tribe, the LWV of Thurston County adopted or revised multiple positions.

Seven new or revised positions were adopted during Thurston County's Annual Meeting in May 2023. A copy of the study and additional information about the study process and outcomes can be found here.

You may submit candidate questions for the General Election. The goal is to have candidates answer questions only one time—we don't want the Primary candidates who answered questions to have to answer more questions. Please only submit questions for races that didn't have any questions available for candidates in the Primary.   

The deadline to submit questions for General Election candidates is September 10th.

For clarification on crafting questions for candidates or to submit candidate questions, email: vote411questions@lwvwa.org. 

Additional items:  

1. Please provide no more than 5 questions for the candidates to answer.  
2. If you submit more than 5 questions per race, please identify which questions are most important to your county. Questions will be edited down to 5 for each race.
3. If questions were submitted for a candidate during the Primary Election, please don't submit questions again for those candidates for the General Election. We only want candidates to answer questions one time during the election season. 

Ideas and sample questions from LWVUS are available here. 

The next step is encouraging candidates to answer questions on Vote 411. Resources for encouraging candidates to respond are available: 

1. Check out this video from LWVUS.
2. Vote411 also has this guide available.

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

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

Vote411 is live! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos courtesy of Barry Robinson, Whatcom Community College.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kind regards,

Mary Coltrane