by Lunell Haught, LWVWA President

Our 2022 fundraising campaign is kicking into high gear with a theme of “Double Up/Double Down.” I invite you to join us by watching the video at the end of this article on how to double up and double down on your commitment to the League—as a supporter, as a member, and as a defender of democracy.

This theme of “Double Up/Double Down” didn’t originate in isolation. It was developed in connection with another idea, that of “powering up.” While each has an individual meaning, together, this is a call to action. We are asking you to get ready to invest your time, your money, and your power, in your community, your League, and your country because to make democracy work, power is essential.

Power comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It can be subtle, like introducing someone to an important official, bringing someone to a group coffee, or supporting someone who has less status within an organization. Other forms of power are much more obvious.

All forms of power are worth considering as you develop your personal and organizational strategy. The list below gives you some ideas of the power you have.

• Legitimate Power: The formal power arising from a position such as president, coordinator, host, or sponsor.
• Procedural Power: The control over procedures by which decisions are made. This might include ground rules, Robert's Rules of Order, working agreements, or rules of debate.
• Mirror or Referent Power: Being connected with powerful people can also make you powerful because you are associated with influencers or leaders and people assume you are part of that group.
• Intrapersonal Power: The power emanating from the ability to build/facilitate linkage among individuals in a team context. It can provide status and recognition as an important influence.
• Connecting Power: Power arising from the ability to network people and their issues and ideas.
• Economic Power: Having (or having access to) financial resources.
• Political Power: The ability to advance issues in a way that advance the topic at hand or a policy. It includes not only the issue, but the individual(s) advancing the issue.
• Reward Power: The power to grant or deny resources.
• Raw Personal Power: Usually associated with your appearance and demeanor. Note that different groups recognize and value different types of personal power. That’s why we have different messengers for different groups and people.
• Expert Power: Power arising from mastery of a subject area or information about a particular matter. The League is recognized as having expertise on a variety of public issues because we engage in careful and methodical research before taking a position.
• Symbolic Power: The power to give special status to a person or group through the use of symbols, logos, and or materials. An example would be to sign onto a letter of request or statement.
• Referent Power: Power arising from others willingly deferring/referring their power to you.
• Wild Card Power: Luck? Who knows, sometimes you just have it!

There are also forms of power that you must be aware of, even if you wouldn’t use them. Power is a tool that everyone can use, and tools can also be weapons. It is on all of us to make sure that when we use power, we are using forms that build up, rather than tear down.

• Stealth Power: The ability to use lies or tricks to attain one’s way and avoid social consequence.
• Coercive Power: The power to force others to do something they typically would not do.
• Brute Force Power: The power to intimidate and/or assault physically, intellectually, or psychologically.

The next time you think about what kind of impact you can make and what kind of power you have consider these options, and then use your power to double up, and double down on your commitment to the League.

by Lunell Haught, President

Two issues that bring Leagues across the Pacific Northwest together are the Columbia River Treaty and the Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup. The League of Women Voters of Washington (LWVWA) influences both with expertise from members who have been involved with these projects for decades. They exemplify our commitment to democracy, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and care for all.

The Columbia River Treaty Modernization Negotiations

The LWVWA has co-signed a letter to comment on the Columbia River Treaty Modernization Negotiations with the Leagues of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. These Leagues adopted a position on the Columbia River Basin in 1979 that states:

In order to meet the present and future water needs within the Columbia River Basin, the League of Women Voters believes comprehensive planning on a basin-wide basis for conservation, development, and management of the water is essential to the optimum utilization of our water resources.

There are three key recommendations in our letter:

1. The addition of “ecosystem-based function” as a third Treaty purpose. Expert representatives able to address ecosystem function must be added to Treaty negotiation and governance structures.
2. The need to consult with Native American tribes within the region. This is key since the Columbia River flows through their ancestral land, and they have treaty rights with the U.S. government that must be honored.
3. The strengthening of flood control measures. As climate change affects water availability throughout the basin, reasonable flood control measures to protect humans, property, and local animal species should be strengthened in any Treaty update.

These are examples of the League’s persistent, relentless, and behind-the-scenes work to make our systems work for everyone. Raelene Gold, a Lobby Team Issue Chair (Rivers and Forests), has been an excellent resource in the League’s work on the Columbia River.

The Hanford Nuclear Site Cleanup

Regarding the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Site, the recent agreement between the State of Washington and the federal government was disappointing to many because it prolongs the Hanford cleanup. In a time when much government money is being spent, it is dispiriting to have Hanford still underfunded.

The Hanford Advisory Board, organized with the commitment and support of the LWVWA, has been working on the Hanford cleanup for decades. Hanford Advisory Board Chair Jan Catrell has followed other members of the League in guiding the board through many difficult decisions. In an email about the current status, she explains:

Hanford cleanup is governed by the Tri-Party Agreement that was negotiated in the 1990's under the leadership of Christine Gregoire, who was Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology prior to being elected as governor. The Department of Ecology (Ecology), along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), are signatory to the Tri-Party Agreement.

The Tri-Party Agreement functions by identifying areas to regulate portions of the cleanup: the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE)is responsible for the nuclear waste; the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the DOE to ensure the regulations pertaining to Superfund sites are met; and Ecology has responsibility for the mixed waste which is held in the tanks.

DOE is focused on building a vitrification plant, an enormous and expensive project that will take tank waste, treat it to remove cesium and strontium, and then send it to the vitrification plant to turn it into a stable form of glass logs that will be safe for long term storage.

The Tri-Party agencies are aware that various tanks are leaking into the soil. Currently, contaminated soils are being treated by two "pump and treat" facilities on the Hanford site. Pump and treat utilizes injection wells that are placed where contaminated plumes are known to exist. Liquid is forced into the wells to capture contaminants in solution and send the liquids to the two facilities that extract contaminants, both chemical and radiological, using an osmotic process. The decontaminated liquid is sent back to the injection wells and the contaminants are isolated for long-term storage and eventual disposal.

The two Pump and Treat facilities are the crown jewels of the Hanford site. They are very effective at isolating wastes of concern.

DOE is focused on getting the vitrification plant online as soon as possible to begin treating the tank waste; prospects are that glass logs will be produced on a limited basis in the next five years. All resources are being focused on getting to this place and the funding required is enormous.

The Washington State Congressional delegation is fully in support of this path. Both Senators Murray and Cantwell have been successful in increasing the funding appropriation, particularly in the last five years. There is hope on the horizon that vitrification will go online in the foreseeable future where tank waste will be addressed in a “concrete” way that will result in environmental safety improvements that have been in our sights for decades.

No one wants leaky tanks. There is some comfort in knowing that tank waste in the soil will be captured by the injection wells and sent for processing. There is an overriding expectation that contaminants will be captured before they reach the Columbia River, and additional injection wells can be placed to mitigate identified hazards in this regard. Compared to the hazards associated with millions of gallons of waste being held in aging tanks, the amount of leakage is minimal. The regulations state clearly that tank leaks must be addressed immediately, but the reality is that funds for cleanup are more effectively spent getting the vitrification plan into production than on chasing liquids seeping from tanks that can be addressed by injection wells (eventually).

It appears that we are putting the limited appropriated funding to get the plant up and running to effectively stabilize tank waste for storage and disposal. Any monies diverted to other purposes, however worthy, will only delay the progress forward to a more permanent solution. Ecology regulates the mixed waste in the tanks, so their preference would be to address the releases into the environment. However, the agreement with Ecology will put into place regulations and procedures that will mitigate the hazards in other ways.

The League can be effective in lobbying for additional funding for Hanford cleanup. The cost of this project is so large, and the need is so great, supporting increases in funding for the work in progress is our best environmental defense.

League Members Dedicated to the League's Values

These examples demonstrate how the League's members engage in civic work. Both Raelene and Jan have devoted hours and years to conducting the League’s mission work on these issues. We thank them for their hard work and commitment.

by Shelley Kneip, LWVWA Shoreline Study Committee

LWVWA has completed a study on the Washington State Shoreline Management Act (SMA). The SMA was one of the first environmental laws passed in the state and came about from a citizen initiative. The SMA applies to all areas of the state, since it covers virtually all the state’s coastal shorelines, rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. The SMA regulates the development and uses of shorelines, and provides for public access to shorelines. It has been in effect for over 50 years and the LWVWA study analyzes how effective it has been. You can read and download the study here.

The League will use the study as the basis for the consensus process that will inform LWVWA positions on shoreline management. Each local League will have the opportunity to review the study and submit a consensus form to the board for the position statement.

The Shoreline Study Committee will be holding an informational meeting on the study on Saturday September 24 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The meeting will be through zoom and will be recorded and posted on the web.

Register Now

Photo of Padilla Bay, courtesy of the Department of Ecology.

Do you have a passion for our democracy and defending it during these difficult times?

Have you thought about your role in leading LWVWA into the future?

Apply to the LWVWA Board!

The Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations for both the slate at Convention (includes: President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, 3 Board of Director positions) and two vacant seats on the Board of Directors that are appointed to serve until Convention 2023.

If you're like me, the past couple years have been tough—the January 6 insurrection, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and so on. But I hope you are also like me and turning that discouragement into motivation to do everything possible to defend our democracy from very real threats.

Service on the state board offers an opportunity to directly impact our democracy by working collaboratively towards the goals of LWVWA, sharing your League successes with other members, continuing to build your leadership skills, helping set the future for LWVWA, and expanding your commitment to the League.

We are looking for individuals who are:

• Dedicated to our mission “Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.”
• Committed to LWVWA’s Strategic Plan; our Non-Partisan Policy; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Advocacy; Voter Services; Civic Education; and Communications. The positions serve on both the LWV of Washington Education Fund (c3) and the LWV of Washington (c4) Boards.

We encourage creative and hardworking individuals with varying work and volunteer experiences to apply—whatever your background, we would like to talk to you. More information can be found here about how you can contribute your time and talent by serving on the LWVWA Board.

If this sounds like you, apply to the LWVWA Board.

We also welcome your recommendations for candidates to the LWVWA Board.

The Nominating Committee will also host two "meet & greets" this fall—keep an eye out for dates and times.

If you would like to know more, contact the Nominating Committee at nomcom@lwvwa.org, or check out our webpage!

Blog: Remarks on the leaked Roe v. Wade draft opinion: Given by the League’s national organizing director, Alma Couverthie, on the steps on the U.S. Supreme Court about the leaked opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. 

Blog and Video: Remarks by LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomon: Given at a meeting of Black Women Leaders and Allies on the voting rights and reproductive call to action.

Leagues in the News: 

• Suzanne Brock, president of the LWV of the Cape Cod (Massachusetts) Area, wrote a powerful op-ed on the right to privacy and how repealing Roe v. Wade could impact our democracy. Read the piece, “Opinion: I had an abortion. Here's why Roe v. Wade should not be repealed,” in the Cape Cod Times.
• Read and share a statement from the LWV of Texas in response to the mass shooting in Uvalde, "A Child's Life Outweighs Anyone's Right to Keep and Bear Arms."

Letter: LWVUS urges U.S. Senate to vote yes on Women’s Health Protection Act: The LWVUS urges U.S. senators to vote yes on S.4132, codifying women’s right to reproductive choice by prohibiting governmental restrictions on access to abortion services. 

Letter: League joins call for social media companies to address election disinformation: The LWVUS joined a letter with more than 120 groups to urge social media platform leaders to control the spread of disinformation online as we head into the midterm elections. 

Letter: LWVUS advocates for passage of the DISCLOSE Act of 2021: The LWVUS urges the U.S. Senate to debate and pass the DISCLOSE Act (S.443) that would provide transparency and complete, truthful information in campaign funding. The act  would require organizations and politicians to disclose donations over $10,000 during an election cycle. 

March: Saturday, June 18, the LWVUS will participate in the Moral March on Washington in partnership with the Poor People’s Campaign and the Low-Wage Workers Assembly.  

Video: Climate Change Threats to Democratic Elections: View a panel discussion on how elections are disrupted by severe climate change and environmental threats. 

Webinar: Reproductive Rights: Overview and Advocacy: June 8, noon PT, the LWVUS will present a webinar that looks at what is happening around reproductive rights at the national and state levels and discuss opportunities for advocacy going forward. 

The following are volunteer roles the LWV of Washington is seeking help with. This is your opportunity to play an important part in your state League! 

Office 365 Support 

Do you know how to use SharePoint and/or Microsoft Teams? Have you ever set up some Power Automate actions? We need someone to help take the LWVWA to the next level in our technology usage. An expert would be great, but a tech-savvy person who is really interested in figuring out how to use these technologies to make the League more efficient and connected (and has the time and energy to do so) would be a big help, too! This work could include experimenting with the technology, providing tech support to members, administering guest access, exploring how to make this technology available to local Leagues, and any other ideas that we come up with. Contact Amy at apeloff@lwvwa.org. 

Social Media Expert 

The LWVWA is seeking a social-media savvy League member to help post to the LWVWA’s social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram). The role would require checking daily news alerts and news sources for information about the League as well as posting interesting and educational events in line with League issues. The League especially needs someone who knows Instagram. Contact Lea at lgalanter@lwvwa.org. 

Newsletter Editor 

The LWV of Washington is seeking someone to edit the state newsletters, The Voter and This Month in the League. Each newsletter is published once a month (first and third Fridays). Tasks include collecting articles, reviewing articles for adherence to League style and proper English, making sure graphics are royalty-free or finding graphics for articles, and working with the LWVWA staff to produce the newsletters. The ideal person would have excellent writing and editing skills and be able to follow the LWVWA Style Guide, the Associated Press Stylebook, and LWVUS guidelines. Contact Lea at lgalanter@lwvwa.org. 

MELD Pod Facilitator 

The LWVWA is seeking Membership Engagement Leadership and Development (MELD) program pod facilitators, a position that involves about five hours a month. This includes a monthly 60-minute Zoom meeting with your assigned pod and writing a short report. The facilitators also meet once a month for an hour. The MELD program is a way for all League levels—local, state, and national—to communicate, share their successes and challenges, and receive information about programs and resources. This leadership position requires good listening and communication skills and the ability to facilitate a group discussion. If you’re interesting in being a pod facilitator, contact Linda Benson for more information. 

By Shelley Kneip, Study Committee Chair, LWV of Washington 

The LWVWA has completed a study of the state Shoreline Management Act (SMA) and its implementation (download the study from the LWVWA website). Pursuant to League protocol, the study is an objective analysis of the SMA. Once completed, it is reviewed by local Leagues, which are asked to find consensus on the questions on issues identified in the study. Once statewide consensus is reached, the LWVWA will form a position on the issues. 

Why Is This Important?  

The SMA was one of the first environmental laws enacted in the state of Washington. The act was proposed by Washington citizens to protect our state’s environmentally significant shorelines and its natural resources. The SMA is administered by cities and counties through local shoreline management programs, which are overseen by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The SMA covers many different types of shorelines: streams, lakes, rivers, and coastal shorelines. The legislative policy goals in the SMA are meant to protect shoreline ecological functions while fostering appropriate shoreline uses, with preference to water-dependent uses and ensuring public access to shorelines. While a raft of other state and federal environmental regulations have subsequently been adopted, the SMA remains the primary mechanism for protecting Washington’s shorelines, biodiversity, and natural resources. We have seen substantial changes since the SMA was adopted over 50 years ago, but the last significant updates to its rules and procedures were almost 20 years ago in 2003. Importantly, most local jurisdictions are currently in the process of updating their shoreline programs, so now is the time to be involved.  

The Study Committee spent two years evaluating how the SMA is working. Is it truly protecting our shorelines? Is it up to date? What conditions have changed over the past 50 years that may need to be addressed? Moreover, since many local governments are in the process of updating their shoreline management programs, the background in this document will assist local  Leagues in participating and commenting on those programs. 

What’s Coming Next 

There will be a presentation and display table at the LWVWA June council in Everett. Following the council meeting, a statewide virtual meeting with local  Leagues will go into more detail on the study. Local Leagues should review the study, meet, and develop their answers to the consensus questions. For more information, contact Shelley Kneip.  

By Lunell Haught, President, LWV of Washington 

Washington is in a unique position regarding reproductive choice compared to many other states. In order to reinforce how important this is, in May, LWVWA President Lunell Haught sent the following letter about reproductive choice to each Washington state senator and representative. The LWV uses privacy and health care positions to support reproductive choice. Lunell has received a few thank you notes from legislators.  

Family planning is difficult. Those who are parents know the challenges and uncertainties of bringing a new life into the world and realize that it affects not only the individual but the entire family constellation and society. The League of Women Voters of Washington supports universal access to a comprehensive, uniform, and affordable set of health services and an individual’s right to privacy in making their own reproductive choices. 

The League is grateful for the foresight that Washington voters showed in securing the right to terminate a pregnancy (1973). Adding to this is the legislative work done to enact RCW 9.02.110 (a woman’s right to choose). We appreciate your recognizing that every individual has the fundamental right to choose or refuse birth control and that every pregnant person has the fundamental right to choose or refuse to terminate a pregnancy (except as specifically limited). 

Those of us who lived through the days when there was no access to reproductive choices know firsthand how lives can be upturned and ended without access to reproductive care. We are thankful to live in a state that recognizes this is a family, not a government, decision. Thank you for your service to the people of Washington in ensuring the rights of women and their families to make their own decisions about important family matters. 

It’s almost time to “Reconnect, Restore, and Renew” with League members across the state at the LWVWA 2022 Council in Everett, June 10-12. It’s too late to register but the following are some important reminders: 

• Don’t forget to download council documents and print out beforehand or bring your laptop so you have them handy. The League will be saving paper and the environment by not providing paper copies. 

• Proof of vaccination and booster are required for all attendees. If you did not upload a photo of your vaccine card when you registered, you can download a PDF from the Washington State Department of Health or show us a photo of your card on-site at registration. 

• Bring your own thermos and/or water bottle, as the League is conserving resources by not providing single-use bottled water. There will be a water/coffee/tea station. 

• It is not necessary to bring your own mask, as the League will be providing providing facemasks with clear panels on front (check them out) to all attendees to facilitate communication for our hard-of-hearing attendees (as well as captioning as much as possible on the projection screen). A state Board member (Jayne Freitag) who is a nurse has provided extensive advice on how to hold a safe in-person event. The physical space will be arranged so that people are not too close to each other. We will also ask each attendee to put either a red, yellow, or green dot on their name badge to indicate their level of comfort with physical interaction.

• You can still investigate public transportation.  

• Get ready to have fun with your League sisters and brothers! 

The LWVWA’s “Be a Voter” campaign was selected as a finalist for the LWV of the US Powering Democracy Award, which will be announced on June 26 at the national convention. The Powering Democracy Award recognizes state and local Leagues for their exemplary work over the past biennium. The award’s theme was inspired by the national League’s Women Power Democracy campaign, and ideal submissions support the Women Power Democracy goals and/or the goals of the Campaign for Making Democracy Work and the League’s Strategic Framework. All winners will receive a cash prize from the LWVUS in recognition of their excellent work over the past biennium. 

The Be a Voter Campaign is a voter outreach project highlighting local Leagues working together with the state League, statewide outreach, materials in Spanish, a social media campaign, and a partnership with a major newspaper, The Spokesman-Review. The Be a Voter Campaign is  a research-based project providing a broad suite of tools for local Leagues to use across Washington state. With uniform messaging, an accompanying Be a Voter graphic, and the LWVWA logo on voter outreach tools, local Leagues achieved messaging synergies across a statewide audience. 

The LWVWA worked with local Leagues to develop voter outreach tools and graphics that local Leagues could download from the state website. The state League encouraged members to use these tools to help spread the word. The tools include full- and half-page printer-friendly flyers and bookmarks, and some voter education materials are also in Spanish, such as a flyer promoting VOTE411.  

The Be a Voter social media campaign, which was active leading up to the 2021 election, featured 33 mis- and disinformation info bites—short factoids regarding elections in Washington state. The state League also worked with local Leagues to develop a toolkit with the social media info bites for local Leagues to use. To prepare the 33 factoids of mis-disinformation for the social media campaign, the League asked our Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) to share the major questions that voters had brought up during the 2020 election. State League volunteers organized these queries and drafted responses, and the OSOS reviewed the questions to ensure accuracy. 

The mis- and disinformation factoids were featured in the Your Vote publication, a “tabloid” that was produced in partnership with The Spokesman-Review, the major newspaper in Spokane, Washington, and most of Eastern Washington. Your Vote, which also included selected voter information articles, was made available to the public in a PDF format in Spanish and English.  

The Your Vote materials are available to download from the LWV of Washington website on the Voter Tools page (no login required); the Be a Voter Toolkit is available in the For Members section of the LWVWA website (login required).