| Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
| | Share LWVSKC's elevator speech with someone new today! Send an email to Congress now! New LWVSKC Unit meeting tonight! Watch the Unite and Rise Playbook 5 webinar - everything you, your Unit, and the LWVSKC needs to be active this summer! Plan to attend the LWVSKC annual meeting June 18! | Volunteers Needed June 18!
Please contact Connie Foster at voteroutreach@lwvskc.org if you can volunteer for the 25th Annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 18 from 5pm - 8pm to be held at the Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle WA 98118. | Congress Needs To Hear From You
We need your help to demand that Congress reject new funding for ICE and CBP.
Last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill allocated more than $170 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its subagencies, ICE and CBP, as well as to the Department of Defense to expand immigration and border enforcement activities. We have seen the impact as armed, masked agents have been deployed into American cities, surveilling, detaining, disappearing, injuring, and killing civilians.
At a time when the rights and freedoms of communities of color are under attack all over the country, we must stand up and fight for a truly representative, multiracial democracy. Today, demand that Congress stop funding attacks on historically marginalized communities, and reject more funding for ICE and CBP. Congress needs to hear from you now!
| LWVSKC'S Elevator Speech
An elevator speech is a concise, 30- to 60-second summary of who you are designed to be delivered in the time it takes for an elevator ride. Below is the LWVSKC's elevator speech for you to practice and get comfortable sharing in conversation with neighbors/your community, at events, on an elevator, etc.
"The LWVSKC is a nonpartisan organization. We don’t support any candidates or any parties. All our work is grounded in our diversity, equity and inclusion policy.
Our mission is to empower voters and defend democracy. We empower voters through voter services, which includes five things: 1. voter registration, 2. get out the vote work, 3. candidate and educational forums, 4. civic education, and 5. observing at King County elections; and we defend democracy through advocacy - which is based on our long held positions, readily available on our website (at LWVSKC.org).
We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate." | Check out LWVSKC Committees and Join In!
Do you know about the LWVSKC Committees and how to join in? The LWSVKC currently has eight active Committees, including: Program, Economics and Taxation, Unite and Rise, Education, Investment, Voters Services, Youth Civics, and Girl Scouts. We will highlight one each week for the next few weeks. This week learn about Economics and Taxation. . .
Economics and Taxation
For years the Econ & Tax Committee has met at the wonderful home of Vicky Downs to study policy, often by reading and discussing relevant books, like The Permanent Tax Revolt: How the Property Tax Transformed American Politics, by Isaac William Martin. However, going forward, we’d like to have more ability to influence policy.
Partnering with the Program Committee, we hope to design events that will educate the public on good tax policy. A place to start would be with the property tax—sometimes referred to as, “a good tax”, for its strengths as a stable, efficient and fair way to raise funds to support local government (schools, roads, public safety, etc.).
The Program Committee has had conversations with City Councilman Dan Strauss, and he has agreed to help with this effort, with an in-person event at City Hall. We’re envisioning a panel discussion evaluating the property tax, with city officials, school district personnel, someone from the County Assessor’s office, and, maybe, a representative from the Association of Cities. The plan would be to start with a City of Seattle event and then replicate this kind of event in other King County cities.
We’d also like to design a handout illustrating what is funded by property tax and who pays. The handout could be used at tabling events. In addition, we’d develop a reading list for League members. To join us please reach out to Marilee Fuller at marileefuller@yahoo.com. | Register For The Next King County Elections Observer Orientation
To observe at King County Elections, you need to participate in an observer orientation (if you have not already in the past two years). Below are the upcoming dates/times of the next observer orientation sessions. Please RSVP to Barb at president@lwvskc.org with the date/time of the session you wish to attend - you must do this ahead of attending. All observer orientations are held at King County Elections 919 SW Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057. (There is a limit of ten LWVSKC members per session.)
- Monday, July 13 from 10 am to 12 pm
- Tuesday, July 14 from 11 am to 1 pm
- Wednesday, July 15 from 4 pm to 6 pm
- Friday, July 17 from 11 am to 1 pm
| Candidate Forums: Resources You Can Use
If you missed the LWVWA presentation on Candidate Forums, you can watch it here:
Recording of the presentation can be found in the For Members section of the state website. | Candidate filing results are in
Filing week is now done so we know which races are more heavily contested. Races with three or more will appear on the August ballot.
Not sure which districts are where? That's one more way our TRY comes in handy because a description of the area covered is included. Check pages 26-32. TRY_2026_online
What else is coming on the ballot?
It's not just candidates on the August primary ballot, there are measures too! Covington and Seattle have fundraising measures, as does the Skykomish School District. There are also some fire district measures. Want to see more about them? Check the details on the King County Elections webpage. | LWV Guidance For Events: Why we are joining demonstrations; safety tips for participation and being nonpartisan at events:
| Unite and Rise
Unite and Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to fight back against the anti-democratic actions of the current administration. The number 8.5 million is the estimated number of voters it would take to bring about change through nonviolent protest. Unite and Rise 8.5 includes:
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Legal & Policy Advocacy: Challenge unconstitutional actions through litigation, advocate for electoral integrity reforms at state and federal levels, fight voter suppression, and protect due process.
- Public Mobilization & Coalition Building: Turn out millions for quick activations and longer-planned activist campaigns, uplift local voices, and partner with grassroots, national, and international organizations
- Civic Education & Engagement: Launch large-scale public awareness campaigns, expand voter registration and turnout efforts, host educational forums, connect policy to real-life impact, and equip people with tools to act
- Democracy Resilience: Build lasting infrastructure to protect democratic values and institutions for the long haul
Now! Playbook 5, May - July 2026, Watch the recording of what you, your Unit, and all of LWVSKC can do here. Passcode is:
L.aI@Dd4
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How do You contact your members of Congress?
| | League Events and Activity | Tonight! New LWVSKC Unit in Wallingford/Ravenna
Exciting news for Wallingford and Ravenna neighbors! The LWVSKC is launching a new local unit in our area, and we'd love for you to be part of it from the very beginning. Join us for our first meeting today: Tuesday, May 19 from 6–7:30 pm at University Heights Center (5031 University Way NE). We'll spend the evening getting to know one another and exploring the many ways to get involved — from voter education and outreach to advocacy and action on the issues that are important to you. RSVP to Deb Carstens at deb.carstens@gmail.com if you're able to attend and/or if you'd like to be added to our mailing list. Whether you're a longtime League member or brand new to the LWVSKC, all are welcome, whether you live in the neighborhood or not. Come find your community and help us empower voters and defend democracy. | Redistricting Briefing: Putting People First
Join the LWVWA Redistricting Commission Reform Task Force on Tuesday, May 26 to hear about how we achieve redistricting that eliminates partisan influence and puts people first. With the all the news about mid-decade partisan gerrymandering and the elimination of voting protections, you’re probably wondering: “What does the alternative look like and how do we get there?”
Register here for the 12-1 pm meeting.
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LWVUS Webinar On AI, Synthetic Media, and The Future Of Trust
Watch this recording of a LWVUS webinar of the subject of AI, Synthetic Media, and the Future of Trust here.
Passcode: ^@5hQx4S | June 14 - Defend Democracy Events
Mark your calendar to participate in a June 14 event near year to defend democracy. Look for updates coming soon on links to events you can register for or possibly table at a local event. | LWVWA Council June 6 - 7
Register here for LWVWA's Council to be held at South Puget Sound Community College’s Lacey Campus, located at 4220 6th Ave SE, Lacey, WA from 10 am June 6 - noon on June 7. Please let Barb Tengtio at president@lwvskc.org know if you plan to attend. | LWVSKC Annual Meeting!
Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 18 at 6pm to join the LWVSKC annual meeting. You will get an update on the past year, vote on the 2026-27 Board, 2026-27 Budget and a small update to the LWVSKC Bylaws, and hear about this year's LWVSKC award winners! Zoom link to follow. Also, in preparation for the meeting, please review the two changes to the bylaws (highlighted in yellow) found here. A meeting reservation link will be coming soon. | Register Now For LWVUS Convention - Registration ends this Friday, May 22
| Social Media Update
Welcome to our new social media volunteer! Colleen Kim is a transfer from the Dearborn League and has jumped right in. Check out the posts on our Facebook and increase in Instagram (links are always at the bottom of our emails and our website pages). Feedback is always appreciated; you can reach her at socialmedia@lwvskc.org. | Unit Meetings
Today! South Seattle Unit Meeting - 5/19/2026
Committee Meetings
| Street Celebration
The block where our office is located is part of a Seattle project to beautify the neighborhood. There's an afternoon celebration next Tuesday May 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. You can also pop into the office and see our space! Click here for details | Thank you to Callie Ridolfi for representing LWVSKC at the Mercer Island Dogs for Democracy event.
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Thank you to Robin Staples and the members of the new Snoqualmie Valley Unit who volunteered at the Cedarcrest High School voter outreach event. | | |
Thank you to the LWVSKC volunteers at the White Center Joiner Jamboree, including Suzanne Ornstein, Virginia Pellegrino, Jacquelyn Brolsma, Susan Waller, Janet Lenart, Crystal Christenson, Dorothy Gesick and Carole Fuller. | League of Women Voters of Seattle King County
1511 3rd Avenue, Suite 801
Seattle, WA 98101
Email: info@lwvskc.org
Phone: (206) 329-4848
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