The “250 Years of the First Freedom” project is one of the multiple ways the League of Women of Washington is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In partnership with the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, the LWVWA project is a letter-to-the-editor and op-ed campaign that gives members across the state a chance to express their thoughts about the importance of the free press, the First Amendment and local news as a cornerstone of our democracy.

Recognizing the League’s commitment to local news and democracy, editors and publishers are making a special effort this year to welcome—and publish—those letters and opinion pieces.

The Calendar

We’ve been asked to offer submissions during three time periods.

• The week of July 4, when editors will publish their own staff editorials about their community’s 250-year story. League members are asked to consider writing LTEs and op-eds about how voting rights is a local story—and how we can read all about it thanks to our local news outlets.
• On or around Constitution Day, that is, the week around Sept. 17, when editors will publish editorials about the First Amendment. Consider writing about how open government and a free press are the same fight.
• October-December, when editors will publish opinion pieces about the country’s next 250 years. Consider writing a letter to the editor or op-ed about the kind of civics infrastructure the next generation of voters will need. That infrastructure includes a robust free press and open government.

Who? How many? When? And how long?

• Each League is being asked to submit at least three letters and one op-ed to their local news outlet(s) during each of the submission periods. Of course, more LTEs are always welcome!
• LTEs can come from individual members, offering their personal perspective. An individual member should not identify themself as speaking for the League. Only the president is authorized to write on behalf of the League, meaning only the president can write “representing and speaking for the League, I can say … ” Because the president can speak for the League, the president should write and submit your local League’s op-ed.
• Individual members, however, may refer to the LWVWA’s support for local news as a cornerstone of our society. A number of other good-government nonprofits also share that commitment.
• Typically letters to the editor run about 200 words. Op-eds, also known as personal opinion pieces, typically run 500-700 words. When submitting an op-ed, it’s always wise to contact the editor of the editorial pages beforehand to make sure they’re interested in your piece and to ask about the length and if the outlet has any special instructions. Typically, editors are more likely to publish an op-ed that is penned by an individual with expertise in a topic, say, in this case, a longtime reporter, former elected official or journalism professor—or the president of the local organization.
• Best to submit your LTE three to five days before you’d like it to run; again, contact the editor of the editorial pages before submitting an op-ed, but plan on allowing a week to 10 days before publication.

Anything else?

• Be sure to include your home address and phone number with your submission. Neither will be published, but editors may need to reach you to confirm you are you.
• If you are your local’s president please be sure to identify that you are president and which League you represent, such as the League of Women Voters of Clark County.
• Mention WNPA’s 250 Years of the First Freedom campaign by name. Many editors are already planning their own 250-themed editorials and will appreciate the alignment.

Angles you might choose, sample LTEs and other ideas

For around July 4:

Your Community’s 250-Year Story

Most of the League’s history is the long argument that suffrage rights are not finished. The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920; the Voting Rights Act in 1965; and League-led voter access reforms and protections continue in Washington and across the country. The League’s 250-year story is a fight to make American democracy live up to its promises — and that fight has always been carried, locally, by reporters who covered who could vote, who couldn’t, who showed up, and who got turned away.

Sample LTE:

Dear Editor,

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, it’s worth remembering whose story this is. Women couldn’t vote in federal elections until 1920. Black voters faced organized obstruction for another 45 years and in many places still do. Tribal nations on whose land [your county] sits have been here since long before any of us. The arc of who counts as “we the people” has bent, and it has bent because people kept showing up: at meetings, at the polls, in court, on the editorial page. The Spokesman-Review has been part of that work in the Spokane region and I am among the tens of thousands who value that. Happy 250th. Read your local paper. Vote in your local elections. Sincerely, [Name], [Address, Phone]

Hooks to consider:

• The year women in your county first voted (Washington territory and state allowed women suffrage at various points before 1910; check your county’s history).
• The tribal nation(s) on whose land your county sits, named directly.
• A milestone local election in your community’s history — the first woman elected to the council, the first non-white mayor, the first contested judicial race the local paper covered.
• A Vote411 statistic for your county — turnout, voter registration numbers

For around Sept. 17, Constitution Day:

The First Amendment at 235. Constitution Day marks the 1787 signing; the Bill of Rights followed in 1791, making the First Amendment 235 years old in 2026.

This is where the League’s open-government and election-integrity work is most directly aligned with the press’s own fight. Washington has one of the strongest Public Records Acts in the country (RCW 42.56). The League uses it. So do reporters. So do citizens. Both the League and the local paper depend on access to public meetings, public records, and an independent judiciary. When that access is restricted — by closed sessions, by exorbitant records-request fees, by attempts to weaken open-meetings law — it hurts both. This is the moment to say so.

Sample LTE:

Dear Editor,

Today is Constitution Day. The First Amendment is 235 years old. Washington has one of the strongest Public Records Acts in the country, and our state’s Open Public Meetings Act guarantees that decisions made on our behalf are made where we can watch them. Good government groups, including the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, the Washington Coalition for Open Government , and others have used those laws for a century to make sure voters know what their government is doing. So has The Everett Daily Herald. No one institution can hold governments accountable alone. It takes a paper that goes to the meetings, a public broadcaster who asks follow-up questions, a coalition of nonprofit organizations focused on their work and citizens who support them. The First Amendment isn’t a favor to journalists. It’s a service to all of us. Subscribe. Show up. Ask. Sincerely, [Name],[Address, Phone]

Hooks to consider:

• A specific Public Records Act story your local paper has published in the last 12 months.
• A government meeting you’ve attended and track
• Any state legislation in 2026 that affected open government or voter access — see the LWVWA Advocacy page listing 2026 legislation pertaining to democracy

Between October and December:

The Next 250 Years. Two natural placement windows — National Newspaper Week in October, or a year-end wrap-up in December.

This is the forward-looking piece. The 250th year is ending. What has to stay true for the 275th? The League’s answer is simple and worth saying: voters need information they can trust, in the language they speak, about the elections that affect them. Local journalism is the most efficient delivery system humanity has ever built for that information at the scale of a county or a city. If it disappears — from news deserts, from newsroom layoffs, from the collapse of advertising revenue — the League’s job becomes impossible.

Sample LTE:

Dear editor,

As we near the end of 2026, I pause and think about all I’ve read about that’s happened this year in Clark County, where I’ve lived since 1997. I appreciate that I have a better understanding about matters of importance to me -- the efforts of men and women who work to keep us safe by patrolling our streets and thoughtfully enforcing reasonable laws; the teachers who do their utmost to educate our youngsters despite the distractions of social media; the farmers and ranchers who provide our bounty; the local business owners who still can keep heir shops and stores operating; the government workers who process licenses, ensure our buildings are built in compliance, and that our elections are safe; and even the people who believe they can improve our community by running for local political office. I know more about all of these endeavors because I read The Columbian almost every morning. Despite the local news crisis so many communities are facing, The Columbian still keeps us aware. A free press is the cornerstone of our knowledge about our communities, our fellow residents and our futures. Read, subscribe and vote. Be informed, be engaged. Sincerely, [Name}, {Address, Phone}

Hooks to consider:

• Recent staffing changes at your local paper — a hire or a Murrow News Fellow placement is a positive hook; a layoff or beat reduction is a sober one.
• The Washington News Ecosystem Project at WSU’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, which tracks the health of local news in our state.
• Any newsroom-funding initiative in your region (a paper that has gone nonprofit, a community campaign for subscriptions, a foundation grant).