With the 2024 legislative session set to begin on January 8, the League of Women Voters of Washington has announced our Board-adopted legislative priorities for this year. Our Lobby Team will use these priorities to ensure that their advocacy work aligns with our commitment to justice, fairness, and civic engagement. 

You can get updates on our progress on each of these issues in our weekly Legislative Action Newsletters. Watch for the first 2024 issue on Sunday, January 14, and weekly through the end of the legislative session on March 7, with a final closeout newsletter a couple of weeks later.  

Subscribe to the Legislative Action Newsletter here.

The LWVWA's advocacy work is broken up into three areas—Making Democracy Work®, the Environment, and Social and Economic Policy—and includes 16 separate issues. You can find a brief explanation of our aims in each area below. More in-depth information about each issue can be found here.

Making Democracy Work® 

Elections and Money in Politics
Support changes in the electoral system that streamline process while protecting the integrity of records and ballots as well as limitations on the influence of money in election outcomes. 

Redistricting
Support redistricting reform by 2031 that includes an updated commission, ongoing staff and technical support, process transparency, clearly defined rank criteria, an inclusive process for public input, and language accessibility. 

Education
Ensure the school funding model is ample to meet the education needs of today, including those of students with special needs; ensure that state academic standards are sustained in local districts; and ensure that equitable education is available for all students. 

Local News and Democracy
Support efforts to ensure conditions are such that ethical local journalism survives and thrives. 

Environment 

Climate Crisis & Energy
Support measures that address the climate crisis and create clean and renewable energy sources as well as opportunities to enhance climate and environmental justice. 

Forests
Support measures that protect and restore mature and old-growth forests, reform the adaptive management program and enhance community resilience to wildfire. 

Growth Management
Assure that land use decisions protect resource lands, forests, shorelines, rural areas and agriculture, and also enhance climate resilience. 

Waste Diversion
Divert waste from disposal through reuse, reduction, recycling through a variety of methods including producer responsibility and product stewardship policies with special attention to packaging, plastics, batteries and digital electronic products. 

Transportation
Achieve balanced and efficient systems, prioritizing those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion. 

Social and Economic Policy 

Housing & Homelessness
Ensure affordable housing for all and that new housing development is transit-oriented and contains environmental justice provisions. 

Health Care
Support interim measures needed to progress toward Universal Healthcare funded by a single payer system for Washington State. Also support increasing the healthcare workforce capacity and improvements in system regulation. 

Behavioral Health
Support increased funding for behavioral health services and behavioral health workforce development. 

Children’s Issues
Ensure policies that provide for the safety and well-being of all children as well as access to opportunities to develop their full potential. 

Early Care and Education
Promote the availability of safe, culturally appropriate early care and education services that support the development of young children, economic vitality for families and businesses, and living wages and training for early care and education workers. 

Criminal Justice
Advocate for a criminal justice system that is just, effective, equitable and transparent, including sentencing reform, restrictions on use of solitary confinement, police accountability and recognition that mental health conditions and substance use disorders are health issues, not crimes. 

Revenue
Promote a flexible, equitable tax structure that provides robust support for all government obligations and is based on sound economic policy, including measures that will support savings in government costs to do business. 

Who are the people that represent League at the Legislature? There is a team of issue experts (called Issue Chairs) who each specialize in a subject for which they come with expertise and remain well-informed. Learn more about the Lobby Team or read their bios here. These are people who dedicate much of December and all of January through March or April to the League’s work on their respective issues. This includes preparation for the beginning of session, bill tracking, research, development of testimony, consultation with legislators and coalitions, supporting member engagement with the Legislative Action Newsletter, and so much more. Their jobs are full-time plus during this part of each year.  

The Lobby Team members work hard. Here’s how some of them described why they wanted to do this work:

"I applied to join the Lobby Team because in these uncivil times, legislation is one of the ways we can work for meaningful change."
—Dee Anne Finken, Local News and Democracy

"I have always found the League Lobby Team to be effective and specifically joined to elevate my particular issue (waste diversion) as it is relative to the Climate Crisis priority. I have appreciated that we now have the capability of expanding issue chair participation from across the state."
—Ann Murphy, Waste Diversion

"Of course I am very interested in behavioral health and concerned about obstacles that might prevent someone from obtaining the help that they need. But the decision to join the Lobby Team was really based on more self-serving reasons. I like to do things that scare me as long as they do not terrify me. Another more self-complimentary way of saying this is, I like to do things that challenge me, but things that I could accomplish if I stretched myself. It is a legal high."
—Mary Lynne Courtney, Behavioral Health

The Team also includes advocates, who are volunteers that help with research, writing, developing testimony as well as providing other support to the Team. Advocates are not appointed by the LWVWA Board to speak for the League, however, so they don't give testimony. The Advocate role is perfect for members who feel nervous about testifying but have a deep interest in a subject area and want to help. Or for those who want to learn about issues they haven’t previously delved into.

Any League member is welcome to support an Issue Chair working on a topic they want to support. Here’s what Carol Sullivan said about why she’s doing this work as an advocate.

"I’m part of Lobby Team, because together, we are learning, sharing and making a difference in what happens in WA State."
—Carol Sullivan, Advocate

Make sure you subscribe to the League's Legislative Action Newsletter, a weekly newsletter produced during Washington State's legislative session. It features easy-to-follow summaries of the legislative process, updates on key issues, and action alerts.

Dear members and friends of the LWVWA,

The League of Women Voters has a history of holding the line when assaults to our democracy happen—and assaults do happen. Impact on Issues, the LWVUS guide to public policy issues, reminds us about the "witch hunt" period of the early 1950s. The League took an impactful role during this era, and during the 1960s on civil rights, as well as in the 1970s on a woman's right to choose. We are again in a time when we must step up to the demands of democracy. 

This is exactly what the LWVWA did earlier this month when word came that a white powder was showing up in election offices around the state. League leaders worked together to get information and send out this statement.

Did you know that several local Leagues have election observer programs in county elections offices? These are the people who watch ballots being received, opened, signatures checked, and counted. They know from direct observation how secure our elections are. This is why the LWVWA can say beyond any wisp of doubt that our elections are free and fair. Unfortunately, not everybody recognizes this, and some seek to cast doubt.  

Our work for the 2024 election is just beginning. You are welcome to join in, if you aren't already doing so. Check with your local League to learn about efforts to get out the vote and call out the hard work election workers do to keep votes safe. Consider joining your local or state League's Voter Services Committee or become an ambassador for how our elections work—because this is how democracy works. Or, if you are unable to contribute your time, please consider a donation to the LWVWA to help us continue our work in defending democracy. Thank you! 

Kind regards, 

Mary Coltrane, LWVWA President

This year meetings had an educational focus. Representatives from the Elections Division of the Washington Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) met with the Voter Services committee three times. From these meetings the League learned about changes to voter registration that make it easier to vote, about SOS plans for civic engagement around the state, and SOS’s work to combat election mis- and disinformation. These meetings also provided League members an opportunity to inform SOS officials about problems they've encountered and to share LWVWA voter resources such as our “Info-Bits.” 

Two of the Voter Services meetings this year focused on candidate events. Members learned about an innovative candidate event LWV Mason County held—modeled after “speed dating,” where voters at the event met candidates and asked them questions directly. These meetings also had space for local Leagues to share how their candidate forums are conducted and included methods of distribution such as livestreaming events and recording them for viewing later or in-person events. Voter Services meetings also have resources that are available to help local Leagues with candidate events. 

This fall Voter Services met with Mike Bay, Vice President of Programming for TVW, to discuss TVW's priorities for covering candidate forums and ways they can work with local communities. Now, the League is gearing up for the 2024 elections—which will have many state and federal office races—and planning candidate events throughout the state.  

The LWVWA is inspired by the work local Leagues are  doing around the state!

• In Pullman, League members taught the “Civics and Natural World” chapter of The State We're In (elementary school edition) to 4th graders in several elementary schools. 
• LWV Benton/Franklin produced a "Get Out the Vote” dance video performed by the Pasco High School Dance Team. Watch in English or Spanish.
  
• Clallam County League members devised a voting game to educate children on the importance of voting. Children voted on which charitable organization the League should donate to—a subject meaningful to them—and found the were really engaged! 
• LWV Thurston produced a “Be A Voter” video highlighting the diversity of their community. Watch it here.
  

Sharing among our members helps keep the energy going for all. The Voter Services committee has future meetings planned that will focus on programs for youth and Spanish speaking outreach, as well as on resources and Vote411.

Please consider donating to support our voter services work here.

By Dee Anne Finken—LWVWA Director, Local News and Democracy 

The refrain that local news is in crisis has become common knowledge among people who are involved in their communities and who follow the actions and decisions of their city and county councils and school board trustees.   

But last week, we got a closer look at just how rapidly the crisis is growing when scholars at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism—among the nation’s most preeminent researchers on the topic—announced their latest findings. 

Their news isn’t good.  

With an average of 2.5 newspapers now closing each week—up from two a week a year ago—more than half of the counties in the nation now have either no local news source or only one remaining outlet. According to Penny Abernathy, co-author of Medill’s annual “State of Local News Project,” that remaining outlet is typically a weekly newspaper.  

The implications of this worsening situation should be of even greater concern for those of us working to defend democracy and empower voters. As the League of Women Voters of Washington’s study “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact of Democracy” and scores of other research projects have illustrated, the decline is linked with reductions in voter turnout, decreased candidate participation, increased government costs, less effective public health education, reductions in civic engagement, and increased political polarization. 

In spring 2023, after the LWVWA adopted the study, members also reached consensus on a Local News and Democracy position. The position states “it is the responsibility of the government to provide support for conditions under which credible local journalism can survive and thrive.”  

To be clear, the position does not specifically call on government to provide funding to support newspapers—for profit or nonprofit. It simply says government has a responsibility to make sure that conditions are such that allow local news publications to serve us. It is purposely written broadly so League members have the flexibility to support a wide variety of thoughtful efforts while rejecting those that aren’t. 

In reaching consensus on the position, League members in Washington considered the actions of US founders, including their decisions to enshrine protection for a free press in the Constitution and to establish a federal postal service with reduced rates for publishers. The latter measure was to ensure early Americans were kept informed about the actions of their leaders by way of the most effective news distribution vehicle of the times. 

Earlier this year, in Washington, the position allowed the League to advocate for one piece of legislation that will help—at least minimally—stem the tide. WA Senate Bill 5199, approved with wide bipartisan support, extends a Business & Occupations tax preference for qualifying publishers to a full exemption. Those in the industry say that savings will likely equate to the salaries of three full-time positions at the Seattle Times, one full-time newsroom position at each of the other dailies and a half of a position at weeklies. 

Small successes, but a start. 

Meanwhile, because rebuilding local news also means educating consumers about how to distinguish between news and opinion and mis- and disinformation, the League also will advocate this session on behalf of two measures designed to boost news media literacy and digital citizenship in Washington schools. 

The reality, though, is that the decline of local news is a nationwide problem, a situation clearly detailed by Medill scholars and others. As such, it can’t be effectively addressed through efforts in a single state. This is why the LWVWA Board voted earlier this year to seek national adoption of the LWVWA news position by concurrency.  

The road to national concurrence is a long one and requires considerable effort, including securing support from local and state Leagues from across the country.  It will require Washington delegates to attend the national convention in Washington, D.C., in June 2024, where they can hold caucuses and canvass for support.   

The LWVWA has sought national concurrence on only a small number of state positions, according to former LWVWA president Judy Golberg, who has been active with LWVUS for several years. 

The local news crisis is a national problem, added Golberg, who is from LWV Benton/Franklin counties. “This is an issue we should all be concerned with.”

Please consider donating to support this important work.

by Beth Pellicciotti—LWVWA Board, Civic Education

The League of Women Voters of Washington is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and to supporting civic education throughout the state. Civic education inclusion involves reaching out to underserved and underrepresented groups with information on how the government works and how to be engaged in a democracy. Civic education is for youth, but also for adults.  We all need to know more about how government works and the role we play in our democracy. 

Each year, the LWVWA solicits civic education grant requests from local Leagues, with grant funds pulled from the LWVWA’s Education Fund. The guidelines are broad—“How are you reaching underserved/underrepresented groups with voter education or civic education?”   

Below are some examples of civic education grant work serving youth. Please consider giving to support future projects like these.

KSPS Civics Bowl (civic education and inclusion)

In 2021, the Spokane Area League partnered with the local public broadcasting station, KSPS, and the Spokane Public Schools to support teams of high school students to compete in a jeopardy-like civics bowl. Spokane League members wrote 700 questions from the two League civics textbooks used in schools. Civics teachers served as coaches; family members watched live recordings of the shows; and community members saw broadcasts of highly educated civics students competing.  

In 2022, one of the semi-finalist teams hailed from the Spokane project-based Community School (an alternative high school), In 2023, the KSPS Civics Bowl is still going strong! Watch recent student Civic Bowl participants answering questions about their experience here.

Legislative Page Program (civic education and equity)

In 2022, the Clallam County League partnered with their local Boys and Girls Club to support and encourage club members to become legislative pages. Some of the young folks who wanted to participate in our state government as pages, in the capital for a week, learning the legislative process, could not afford the transportation, living, and clothing costs.

To assist efforts to get these young folks to the capitol, the Clallam League served as the content expert on the legislative page program—answering questions, assisting with applications, and keeping track of important deadlines. The Boys and Girls Club gave students funding for clothing,transportation, as well as room and board costs. Read about the world-view altering experience of one legislative page below.

Civics Textbooks to Schools (civic education, equity, and inclusion)

In 2023, the Clark County League received funding to purchase the LWVWA civics textbooks, The State We’re In for a school district experiencing severe budget cuts.  The head of curriculum for that district asked for help paying for textbooks for elementary and middle school teachers. While the LWVWA textbooks are free online, teachers and students like to have a hardcopy. Access problems arise because not all school districts can afford printed textbooks, and many do not have broadband internet access.  

Additionally, through the work of long-time League volunteer Karen Verrill, the League's textbooks, posters, and a recent supplement on The History of Latinos in Washington have been translated into Spanish! Ongoing planning with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is focusing expanding access to the translated versions to the over 40,000 students in dual language programs. It is important that ALL of us—whether our first language is English or not—have access to materials to aid in learning how Washington State and Native American governments work. Translated materials can be accessed here.

The League does so much! Your gift can help the LWVWA advocate for fair and accessible elections, fight against voter suppression, combat misinformation and disinformation, publish civics school textbooks, advocate in the Washington State Legislature on League priority issues such as climate change, childcare, health care, homelessness, equity, equality, and a whole lot more. 

Giving is easy and simple! You can give by:

• Clicking here (or through the "donate" tab on our homepage);
• Mailing a check to the League of Women Voters of Washington 1511 3rd Ave, Suite 900 Seattle, WA 98101;

• Making a gift directly to the LWVWA from your IRA as part of your annual required minimum withdrawal.  

You can donate to our to our 501(c)(4) to support our advocacy work or make a tax deductible gift to our 501(c)(3), the LWVWA Education Fund.

Please consider giving today—every little bit helps, and you can make a real difference!  

By Lyn Whitley and Dee Anne Finken, LWVWA Local News Committee members 

Like the League of Women Voters in Washington, individuals and groups elsewhere across the country are turning to public policy as a way to stem the decline in local news.

In early October, LWVWA Local News Committee members met virtually with Steve Waldman, founder of the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Rebuild Local News, to learn about some of the efforts.

Previously national editor of U.S. News & World Report, Waldman was asked by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in 2009 to study whether all Americans were receiving the information, educational content and news they needed in a changing media landscape. The product of his effort was the highly regarded “The Information Needs of Communities,” which predicted a decline of local newspapers would be particularly problematic.

Waldman went on to found Report for America, a nonprofit program that places early career journalists in newsrooms in underserved communities across the country.

Waldman began his conversation with committee members by praising the LWVWA study, “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy,” and other Washington state League efforts to support local news.

“I can’t stress how important it is that the League is doing this,” Waldman said.  “So far, it’s only been a bunch of journalists talking about this. And we are really only going to make progress when other civic groups and organizations, and businesses really understand the crisis.”

He noted that efforts are underway in New York, Wisconsin, Maryland and Colorado to pursue legislation to provide news outlets with refundable payroll tax credits to offset staffing costs. Calling payroll tax credits “probably one of the best ways to encourage the presence of local reporters,” Waldman said such a proposal would be worth promoting in Washington, given the state’s budget surplus. He acknowledged stiff competition for the funds from many special interests will likely surface, though.

Waldman said the creation of early career journalism fellowships, such as the new $2.4 million program at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College, will help ease the crisis. That program will place eight journalists in newsrooms in underserved areas in the state the first year and another eight the year after.   

New Mexico was the first state to create such a program, and California launched its program in March. Administered by the University of California-Berkeley, it received $25 million in state funds. Washington state Sen. Karen Keiser, a UC alum, has said she was inspired by the UC plan to seek financing for Washington’s program.

In many ways, Waldman said, fellowship programs win ready support from lawmakers who are familiar with state finances and university systems.

Another approach gaining traction would require state public agencies to buy advertising in local newspapers, provided the expenditures are effective. Waldman noted local governments across the country purchase advertising for programs ranging from public health messaging to tourism promotion. The idea is to support local news outlets instead of Big Tech social media firms, if the advertising is equally effective.

Waldman said Washington’s lawmakers are generally on board with support for local news at both the state and federal levels. A bill that allows news publishers to seek exemption from the state Business & Occupation tax won broad bipartisan support in the state Legislature before Gov. Inslee signed it this spring. 

In Congress, Rep. Dan Newhouse and Sen. Maria Cantwell, both of Washington, sponsored the Local Journalism Sustainability Act in 2020, which was hung up in budget deliberations in late 2022.  Replacing it is the Community News & Small Business Support Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Suzan DelBene of Washington and Claudia Tenney of New York, which would create tax credits for newspapers to hire staff and for local businesses to advertise in local newspapers.