In Star Trek, a “mind meld” is a kind of telepathic touch that enables the rapid sharing of knowledge and experience. Unfortunately for (at least most of) us, we are neither telepathic nor within touching distance of each other, so we have created a MELD Network* to provide a mechanism to better share tools, methods, practices, and accomplishments across the state with each other.  

The “League Mind MELD” column is a way to share even more information to all our members across the state. This column will run each month and will include the responses we receive to the questions posed at the end of the previous month’s column.

August's MELD Moment
Moving forward, the MELD Pods will be chatting about the value of MELD participation, as well as all things 'voter service' in preparation for the General Election on November 5.

What are some of the valuable aspects of MELD? These pods are an opportunity for League members to learn about what other Leagues are doing. Pods share insights ranging from how Leagues engage with the public and younger voters through in-person outreach like tabling or virtual outreach with social media, to presenting civics in schools, to League mechanics like new member orientations, leadership models. MELD Pods provide a time to delve a bit deeper into serious subjects, to hone our skills, and deepen our knowledge of the League—past, present, and future. Pods are a source to share resources, 'how-tos', templates, and guidance, but they are also a place for brainstorming and gaining new perspectives on a variety of situations.

How Leagues participate in MELD Pods varies, some Leagues have one pod representative, while others rotate attendance amongst a few members. All pod members are encouraged to report back to their home League to share what is learned and to get feedback from their own membership. We look forward to your participation in one of our pods!

The League Mind MELD
Last month's question about land acknowledgements garnered a lot of interest! The responses were very similar from both League members and people from our Native communities. The words in an acknowledgement can feel rote, empty, and self-serving. However, we are urged to make the statements stronger with actual commitments and actions—which we are, or are preparing, to do. Great observations, thank you to those who took the time to respond!

August's Questions:

1. Why will you vote in November?
2. As a League member, what makes you most proud?

Please contact Nancy Halvorson to respond, or if you have any questions.

* In the context of the League, MELD actually has zero connection to Star Trek; it is an acronym for Membership, Engagement, Leadership, and Development. MELD pods meet each month to serve as platforms for sharing successes, addressing challenges, and exchanging ideas among local Leagues. Are you interested in learning more about MELD? Talk to your Local League Leadership about becoming involved in MELD. Are you interested in learning more about MELD? Talk to your Local League Leadership about becoming involved in MELD.

By Polly Zetterberg, LWV Seattle/King County

The LWVWA Election Credibility Committee needs "more hands-on deck" for the 2024-25 High School Video Contest!

This year's contest had 18 entrants, with 7 videos submitted. The contest website is already updated for the 2024-25 contest, the process is fine-tuned, and we are encouraging YOU to jump in for the 3rd annual contest! The Election Credibility Committee meets over Zoom—we laugh and share; we get things done; and we truly enjoy the productions the students make. See the amazing and memorable videos produced by this year's winners:

• 1st Place—"Make History" by Ava Espiritu
• 2nd Place—"How Does Mail In Voting Work?" by Caleb and Grey Higueria
• Honorable Mention—"Election Security" by Maya Rios, Ian Baker, and Evan Wold
• Honorable Mention—"Voting Rights Restoration" by Hazel Milleson, Isaac Wheeler, and Alexander Jones

Visit our webpage to learn more about the video contest and contact us with your interest and questions!

High school students are the future in so many ways. They are the future's thinkers, doers, and the models for the next generation to come. That means that, as present-day adults, we are bound to educate and encourage them. Those 17-and 18-year-olds who are ready to learn about voting should be supported. These students hold the future in their powerful hands, and voting is one of their most basic and important tools. It is amazing what these students can do, so we want this project to grow!

For the past two years, the LWVWA Election Credibility Committee has sponsored a high school student video contest. Our aim is to help high school students learn about all of the rules, facts, and mis-and disinformation about voting—and then help them share their gained knowledge with the folks in Washington state. The video submissions are student produced and approximately 30-60 seconds long.

Through the years, we have had support from a number of high school teachers and local League leaders, which has been great, and we are incredibly thankful for that support.

Educating voters is a vital mission for the League of Women Voters. One way that we do this is through candidate forums and debates, which give voters opportunities to hear directly from the candidates about their stance on the issues. So far this year, the LWVWA has held three candidate forums for the primary election for the offices of Superintendent of Public Schools, Attorney General, and Commissioner of Public Lands.

In May, the LWVWA teamed up with the LWV of the Spokane Area and Central Valley School District to hold the candidate forum for Superintendent of Public Schools. The League worked with Central Valley School District Superintendent Dr. John Parker and teacher Brittany Bergman to recruit students to be active participants in the forum. The student panel represented various high schools in the area and included: Jacob Cloward (Spokane Valley Tech), Hailee Elkins (Mica Peak High School), Lucy He (Central Valley High School), Gracie Newell (Ridgeline High School), Everett Stinson (University), and Vivian Van Buren (Ridgeline). These students did an excellent job! They developed questions for the forum and asked the candidates directly during the event. TVW broadcast and recorded the forum, you can watch it here.

In June, the LWVWA worked with the LWV of Benton/Franklin County to hold the candidate forum for Attorney General. The forum was held in Richland, at WSU's Tri-Cities campus, and was broadcast and recorded by Northwest Public Broadcasting. Watch the recording here.

In July, the LWVWA and the LWV of Clark County teamed up to hold a candidate forum for the Commissioner of Public Lands race. The League was pleased to be joined by The Columbian and The Reflector newspapers, who co-sponsored the forum. All seven candidates for the Commissioner of Public Lands position appeared at the forum and answered questions posed by the public and League members. This forum was also recorded and broadcast by TVW and the recording can be viewed here.

The LWVWA is fortunate to have the help of so many League members in planning and producing these candidate events! In particular, we'd like to acknowledge the help of Ann Strosnider and Maurie Louis (LWV Kitsap) for their public outreach efforts; Elaine Harger and Beth Pelliccioti (LWV Spokane/LWVWA) for their help with the Spokane events; and Diane Molleson and Bev Johnson-Torelli (LWV Benton/Franklin) for their help with the forum in Richland. The LWVWA forums could not have been as successful as they were without the help of these individuals.

Make sure you stay tuned, as the the LWVWA is planning more candidate forums for the general election in November. Watch our website for announcements!

In Star Trek, a “mind meld” is a kind of telepathic touch that enables the rapid sharing of knowledge and experience. Unfortunately for (at least most of) us, we are neither telepathic nor within touching distance of each other, so we have created a MELD Network* to provide a mechanism to better share tools, methods, practices, and accomplishments across the state with each other.  

The “League Mind MELD” column is a way to share even more information to all our members across the state. This column will run each month and will include the responses we receive to the questions posed at the end of the previous month’s column.

 July’s MELD Moment
Following the 2024 LWVUS Convention, MELD Pods are busy delving into what was shared, learned, and explored during the national gathering of Leagues. Across the country, Leagues have developed effective strategies, eye-catching SWAG, tabling best practices, and innovative GOTV ideas—what strategies and methods can be used in our Leagues? What new partnerships can we develop? Of course, there is also excitement among the Pods about the Local News Study being adopted by LWVUS and the approval of the Reproductive Rights Resolution (co-sponsored by LWVWA) and the Immigration Resolution (co-sponsored by LWV San Juans).

At home, local Leagues have been sharing their DEI statements with each other and LWV Snohomish is publishing their DEI statement in Spanish. As we approach the August Primary (and even the General Election in November), members are hard at work on their candidate forums. And there have been three forums for state-wide offices hosted by the LWVWA and various local Leagues—the Superintendent of Public Instruction (with LWV Spokane Area), State Attorney General (with LWV Benton/Franklin), and the upcoming Commissioner of Public Lands forum (with LWV Clark County). Likewise, MELD Pods will now be shifting focus to the serious and detailed work of League GOTV and registration events prior to the General Election.

The League Mind MELD
Last month we asked what the LWVWA is currently doing to support Leagues across the state, and what members wished the LWVWA could or would start doing. We got a lot of great responses to these questions—here are just a few of them:

What does the LWVWA do for your League?

• Provide resources: civics ed grants, liability insurance, Affinity Groups, and guidance on how to use the LWVWA positions to advocate
  
  
• Provide education and opportunities to take action: Action Workshops, affinity groups, Lobby Day and Lobby Week.

What do you wish the LWVWA would or could do?

• “Nuts and bolts” support: C3 accounting monthly and quarterly and annual candidate forum workshops.
  
  
• Recruitment aids: Resources like recruitment brochure templates or ready-made recruitment messaging.
  
  
• Social media support: graphics toolkits and templates, posting schedules.

July’s questions:

1. What is your League's favorite GOTV or Voter Services event (past or current events)?
2. Do you see the value in continuing to open meetings with Land Acknowledgements? Why or why not? (Note: this question comes as a result of comments made by various tribal members in Washington).

For more details about the MELD Pods or their work, please contact Nancy Halvorson. And don’t forget to send your answers to July’s question to Nancy as well!

* In the context of the League, MELD actually has zero connection to Star Trek; it is an acronym for Membership, Engagement, Leadership, and Development. MELD pods meet each month to serve as platforms for sharing successes, addressing challenges, and exchanging ideas among local Leagues. Are you interested in learning more about MELD? Talk to your Local League Leadership about becoming involved in MELD. Are you interested in learning more about MELD? Talk to your Local League Leadership about becoming involved in MELD.

Were you unable to attend the LWVUS National Convention? Not to worry! We’ve asked some of the folks who attended the Convention as delegates for Washington to provide In League readers with their experiences.

There is also more information on the 2024 Convention on the LWVUS's webpage, a daily recap of each 2024 Convention day's events. Stay tuned for the Convention recording in the next LWVUS League Update!

In the meantime, you can find a taste of what it was like to be at the National Convention below.

Beth Pellicciotti, LWVWA Board (Civics Education) and LWV Spokane
The 2024 LWVUS Convention is the third LWVUS convention I have attended. In 2020, the convention was an experiment in Zoom-land, and the plenaries and voting seemed like an extraordinarily long process. This was in the throes of Covid though, so any contact—even five hours on Zoom—was a diversion.

In 2022, I attended in person in Denver. The plenaries were still long but breaks provided opportunities to meet with League delegates from near and far. I stopped by the Indiana delegation to tell them how they inspired me to join the League (they fought against voter IDs); I visited a Washington State friend who was now in the California delegation. I had fun! Our table of delegates ate tons of trail mix, we learned to vote on our phones, and I attended all the workshops on youth engagement. 

In 2024, I attended remotely again. I presented in a pre-convention workshop, represented LWV Spokane (informed, but not instructed on their issues), and was very aware that LWVWA had a concurrence on the agenda. Ultimately, I was back in Zoom-land, experiencing technical glitches during workshops and spending long hours at the screen. I will long remember the 5:00 AM start on the last day of convention—and how much I respected the west coast delegates who managed to turn their cameras on, ready to go! I was also immensely proud of the LWVWA Local News Committee’s work on the Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy. I was proud, too, of our League leaders, Dee Anne Finken, Shelley Kneip, and Mary Coltrane, who shepherded this study’s concurrence to a successful passage.

My final and best memory of the 2024 LWVUS Convention is Vallie Needham valiantly making motions to make reproductive rights part of the LWVUS Program. Each time she spoke, she had to give her name and League affiliation. Finally, after four or five times of introducing herself and naming her League, she simply said, “I am still Vallie Needham and I am still from Thurston County.”

Sally Carpenter Hale, LWV Clark County
While attending Convention, I was struck by how many Leagues across the country have similar priorities to the Washington Leagues—and what good ideas these Leagues have had to achieve their goals! For example, there are multiple Leagues in California with interesting ideas to engage young voters. These include having high school students on their boards, filling League internships (financed by a Rotary grant), peer-led voter registration drives, and even games! The LWV of Missouri and the Voter Girl project in Ohio have a lot of cool swag (t-shirts, buttons, license plate holders).

Why should we reinvent when other Leagues have already come up with wonderful ideas that we can borrow? We should all collaborate more! We need a way to easily share these best practices across Leagues nationwide!

Notes from LWV Thurston County
Though the delegates from Thurston County had networked constantly by text prior to the National Convention, those who attended virtually were still quite surprised to see Vallie Needham—who successfully submitted LWV San Juan’s resolution on an updated League position on reproductive rights—at the mic. And not just once, but three times! Needham, along with Eleanor Walters, made sure the virtual delegates from Thurston County (Karen Tvedt and Susan Fiksdal) knew when it was time to vote and what the motion was about. This was crucial because Fiksdal had to set up and tear down the LWV Thurston County booth at the Capital City Pride Celebration that day.

For those who attended the National Convention in person, the visit to the US Capitol was time well spent. Walters and Needham met with Representative Strickland (LD 10); and Walters also met with Representative Delbene (LD 1). Representative Delbene co-introduced the bipartisan “Community News and Small Business Support Act last year. Walters and Needham are happy to report their League badges and ID pins were noticed and respected at the Capitol!

Whether they attended in person or virtually, Thurston County’s delegates celebrated the national concurrence of the LWVWA’s local news position. Dee Anne Finken competently fielded questions from the floor with sound rebuttal. The highly effective campaign Finken and the Local News Committee created ensured that delegates understood the position. In person delegates enjoyed the camaraderie of the other League delegates during business meetings and over meals in the culturally diverse DC niche neighborhoods.

Judy Golberg, LWV Benton/Franklin Counties
I experienced the LWVUS Convention virtually—and though I know attending virtually did not allow me the same personal connections gained by those who attended in person—the experience was still quite worthwhile.  It wasn’t difficult to attend workshops, the trainings, or the plenary sessions. I found the key to a good experience was doing your homework ahead of time! Voting did prove to be a challenge for some virtual attendees, but most of us had no problems. The workshops I attended included:

•  “How Can We Disagree Better to Build Trust in Our Democracy,” which offered ideas for modeling good civic behavior and building a civil community.
• “Turn Up for One Person, One Vote,” where attendees discussed the Electoral College and the popular vote.
• “Book Banning,” which focused on fighting against the banning of books, censorship, and how to become a library advocate.
•  “Meet the Candidates,” where we had the opportunity to meet the candidates for the new LWVUS Board, including the new LWVUS President Dianna Wynn.
• “Rethinking your Webpage,” which discussed using a committee to manage your League’s webpage and learning as you go.
• “DEI in the Work,” learning and discussing how to build a more diverse League.

I am happy to answer any specific questions regarding any of these topics, please get in touch with me!

Cindy Madigan, LWVWA Issue Chair and LWV Bellingham/Whatcom County
I appreciated the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to serve as a delegate for the 2024 LWVUS Convention. This was my first in-person national convention, and it was so easy to get caught-up in the buzz of League volunteers, staff, and guests from across the country!

Among many highlights was the successful concurrence vote on the LWVWA local news position. I felt proud to be part of the Washington delegation supporting the Local News Committee that studied this issue, prepared our members for participating in consensus, and effectively reached out to the LWVUS board and other Leagues across the country over the past year. And, of course, this effort culminated in a national League position to address the local news crisis and its impact on our communities and democracy.

I am eagerly anticipating the recordings for the event! There were so many compelling workshops to choose from, and I want to both refresh myself on the sessions I attended—and catch the ones I missed!

As many of you know, I’ve been advocating at the local and state level for ranked choice voting in both single and multi-seat elections. Meeting League colleagues from Oregon, California, Florida, and Maine who are also dedicated to this work was a joy! We are building a nationwide grassroots affinity group and resource repository—PRAG-LWV—and actively seeking folks to join us!

Above all, I felt hopeful hearing and participating thoughtful discussions marked by respect and health disagreement. It was democracy in action. 

In previous League communications on the statewide initiatives on the ballot in November, we have focused on why the LWVWA is asking voters to vote NO on I-2109, I-2117, and I-2124. With this communication, we are providing additional resources and background information to support individuals in their own advocacy against these initiatives.  

Remember: Only authorized individuals can advocate in the name of the League, if you choose to advocate against these initiatives, it must be done as an individual. Additionally, the League’s position on these ballot measures should NOT be shared in settings where the League is doing voter registration, GOTV, or candidate forums. 

Capital Gains Tax—I-2109 

The nonpartisan Washington Budget and Policy Center, which serves as a valuable fact-based resource, has a comprehensive webpage that explains the capital gains tax as well as offering talking points about the initiative. Key points include the consequences of reducing funding for education and early learning and the fact that the capital gains tax moves Washington state toward a more equitable tax structure by generating funds from a very few people with great wealth. 

• Join the NO on I-2109 Campaign here. 

Climate Commitment Act—I-2117 

Climate and Energy Issue Chair, Martin Gibbons, has provided an excellent PowerPoint presentation about the Climate Commitment Act and I-2117. 

Additionally, the WA State Medical Association has resources to explain why the potential repeal of the Climate Commitment Act is a critical public health issue. 

• Join the NO on I-2117 Campaign here. 

WA Cares Program—I-2124 

The nonpartisan Economic Opportunity Institute provides excellent information about the WA Cares Program and why allowing people to opt out would be expensive for the state of Washington. 

• Join the NO on I-2124 Campaign here.
  

The Lobby Team needs you! If you are vitally interested in a topic, do consider working with the Team.
 
We often hear, “I can’t do that!” But you can. The Lobby Team has positions for all types of skills and temperaments. If you don’t want to testify or meet with legislators, we need help with research and writing—become an Advocate, the people who support our Issue Chairs.  

But we also provide training if you would like to be a full-fledged Issue Chair, the name for our volunteer lobbyists. Issue Chairs convey information about their issues to League members, state legislators, and other organizations in coalitions the League joins. Issue Chairs stay up to date on state policy and advocate at the legislature based on League positions.   

Consider the range of issues in the LWVWA Program in Action (see page 4 for a list of positions). Right now, we are particularly seeking Issue Chairs for healthcare and children’s programs, but all of our Issue Chairs can use more Advocates! Some of our Issue Chairs are seeking League members to train to take over the Issue Chair role from those who’ve been doing it a long time.

Becoming a Lobby Team member is a great opportunity to learn more about important issues while helping the League impact them. Your skills, expertise, and time can make a significant difference!

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Cynthia Stewart, LWVWA Advocacy Chair.

This Month with the Lobby Team

The Lobby Team works throughout the year, not just during the state legislative session. But the work is different between sessions (the “interim”). This month, the Team is having its retreat to plan upcoming Action Workshops for the Fall, share information about issues, and discuss how to improve our communications with League members. If you have suggestions on the latter, please contact Cynthia Stewart.

Watch for more information about the upcoming Action Workshops in the next issue of In League. 

On the morning of June 29, League delegates from across the country gathered in Washington DC for the Saturday plenary session at the LWVUS National Convention. They came together in the Hilton’s sprawling International Ballroom, where nationally recognized journalists, Hollywood’s elite, and high-ranking government and elected officials—including the US President—gather every spring for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. It’s a big deal; a gala affair with attendees saluting the courage and tenacity of dedicated news professionals, raising money for scholarships and, of course, roasting the commander in chief.   

Likewise, what happened the last weekend in June in that same room also was a big deal. With overwhelming support, League delegates voted to adopt the LWVWA’s position on Local News and Democracy. This move empowers League members throughout the country—at the local, state, and national levels—to advocate for local news.  

The LWVWA could take its position to the National League Convention on this very special weekend because of you, the members of local Leagues throughout Washington State. Your support in the form of encouragement, last year’s consensus on the position, and financial assistance combined to make the weekend the success it was.    

All the members of the Local News team are grateful for your support—the encouragement and “atta-girls” we received—kept us going, particularly when the going got tough.

The concurrence vote your support made possible gives League members nationwide a tool to rally behind legislation and programs designed to bolster the local news ecosystem, making it possible for voters to be more informed, for the public to know better what’s happening in the halls of government and to expand awareness that might start chipping away at the political divide that threatens our democracy.  

After a break, the Local News team will renew its efforts, including the promotion of media literacy and awareness. If you’d like to participate, please contact Dee Anne Finken, Chair of the Local News and Democracy Committee. 

The 2024 LWVWA Council has come and gone, and we had a blast!

This year we were pleased to be able to offer both in-person and virtual options to participate in Council, and it's clear how much League members love to gather in-person—almost all of our attendees came down to Lacey this year to participate in-person.

A popular highlight for folks at Council this year was the Civics Bowl Competition held with dinner on Saturday night. League members were able to flex their civic knowledge and enjoy a spirited (but friendly) competition about something near and dear to all of our hearts. A big thank you to Karen Crowley and her excellent game show hosting skills! She really ensured the evening was a highly entertaining affair.

Other highlights include the insightful Keynote Speech delivered by Squaxin Tribal Chief Kris Peters and a lunch session discussing Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins' book The Untold Story of Women of Color in the League of Women Voters. Jefferson-Jenkins is a former two-term LWVUS President.

This year Council included two Plenary Sessions to elect new Board members, with sessions on Saturday and Sunday morning. Virtual and in-person attendees engaged in a lively and important discussion about Staying Nonpartisan in Partisan Times, emphasizing its vital importance to the League's efforts during the 2024 Election.

We also had a packed workshop schedule, with nine separate workshops scheduled throughout Saturday. These workshops included:

• The "ME" in MELD—Membership & Engagement (Recording available)
• A National Convention Caucus (Recording available)
• Understanding the Lobby Team: Talk to Issue Chairs and Ask Questions (Recording available)
• Speaking with One Voice (Recording available)
• Programs Coming to Local Leagues Soon (Recording available)
• Local League Brainstorming: Communicating More Effectively with Diverse Entities (Recording available)
• Leadership is a Balancing Act (Recording available)
  
• Tabling with a Purpose (not recorded)
• Nuts and Bolts of Candidate Events (Recording available) 

The final session of the 2024 LWVWA Council was aimed at helping League members be more confident in remaining nonpartisan in increasingly partisan times. LWVWA President Mary Coltrane opened the session, noting that research done by Washington State University indicates that the League is not generally viewed as nonpartisan by the public. On top of this challenge, many League members report that defending democracy, while embracing nonpartisanship, raises a myriad of difficult questions.

As the final session continued, panel members Karen Tvedt, Ellie Hutton, and Jean Alliman teed-up questions about what nonpartisanship means as Leagues host candidate forums, conduct studies, protect our legacy, recruit leadership (and membership), and establish leadership teams to serve in lieu of local League presidents. Through these discussions, two premises emerged:

1. Promoting democracy and empowering voters is the foundation of the League of Women Voters—and they are non-negotiable.
   
   
2. Clearly differentiating between the League’s voter services work and its advocacy work is critical. This includes remembering that advocacy is not our purpose during our voter education activities, such as GOTV tabling or conducting candidate forums.

While the League is not responsible for rising political polarization in the US—and the redefining of terms like “democracy” or “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)” in increasingly partisan ways—there was agreement among members that the League’s effectiveness can be increased by minimizing the appearance of partisanship. Some suggestions to do this included:

1. Ensuring that candidate forums are civil and inclusive. This includes using skillful moderators and broad outreach for questions—especially including those of concern to local communities. To this end, some members advocated for in-person forums with questions coming from the audience. Other members noted “empty chair” concerns and the need to create environments that promote participation by candidates.
   
   
2. Honing our listening skills to further civil conversations and relationships with those who hold differing views. This includes being aware of words that can be triggers.
   
   
3. Making sure our members, particularly new members, are conversant with our nonpartisan and conflict of interest policies. The distinction between voter service and advocacy work is especially important—we need to be “speaking with one voice.”
   
   
4. Highlighting the work we do that resonates across the political divide—like promoting local news and our elder caregiving study.

In conclusion, against the backdrop of our evolving politics, questions around nonpartisanship will continue to surface, and such open discussions are needed on regular basis within the League of Women Voters, at all its levels.