Mission Statement: Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
Vision Statement: We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.
Voter Services at the state League level works to carry out this mission and vision by supporting local Leagues in get out the vote work, and implementing state-wide projects that inform voters. The resources below are available for all members to make use of as they wish. Your work as a member of the League of Women Voters will help promote an informed electorate. Thank you!
Candidate Events
General Guidance
Preparing Questions
Candidates
Conducting the Event
Virtual Candidate Forums
Workshops and Trainings
- Voter Services Meeting with Secretary of State's Office, May 24, 2023
- Are Your Ducks in a Row? Candidate Debates and Forums:
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- Workshop # 1, April 2, 2022
Panel: Maggie Bush, LWVUS, Mike Bay, TVW, Peter Lavallee and Chip Beatty, Public Disclosure Commission
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- Workshop #2, April 23, 2022
Strategies and Policies
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See additional resources under Local League Sharing.
Get Out the Vote & Be a Voter Campaign
LWVWA occasionally produces materials that work well as giveaways at tabling events. When we have items available, we will put forms for you to request items for your League below:
Downloadable Flyers and Stickers
Election Resources
- Elections Basics (cross reference to Voter Tools)
- Check out LWVWA’s Instagram feed for examples for how to use social media for civic education on voting and elections. Contact us if you would like the Canva files.
- Jurisdictions and Election Reports:
The SOS Elections Division posts a "Match Back Report" during election season that includes name, address, ballot sent and is updated daily to include ballots received. Leagues can potentially ask for reports from their Auditor’s office about % of voting in various jurisdictions and demographic groups. - Combatting Misinformation/Disinformation: SOS has a new project focusing combating misinformation/disinformation about elections.
Voter Registration and Resources
- Using a Unique QR code for Voter Registration
A League can request a unique QR code for voter registration from the Secretary of State’s Office and publish it as part of their voter registration efforts. The code will take a user directly to votewa.gov. If they complete the voter registration it will also record the League name. - To request a QR code for your league contact elections@sos.wa.gov
- To run a report on the number of voter registrations recorded:
SOS provides a portal for organizations to run reports on how many voter registrations have come through their unique QR code. The reports, "Voter Drive Stats," can be run there.
- Voter Registration Changes Planned 2024
Legislation was passed in the 2022-2023 legislative session to expand voter registration will be implemented in 2024. - Automatic voter registration will expand beyond the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Health Benefit Exchange. Members of the public will be asked if they would like to register to vote when they interact with any state agency and will be asked to show proof of U.S. citizenship.
- On-line voter registration will be expanded to allow voters to register online using the last four digits of their Social Security number; previously, only people with a driver’s license or state-issued identification could take advantage of online voter registration. For voters registering with a Social Security number, the applicant must submit an image of their signature.
Toolkit
About VOTE411.org
Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) in October of 2006, VOTE411.org is a "one-stop-shop" for election related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the following aspects of the election process:
- Absentee ballot information
- Ballot measure information (where applicable)
- Early voting options (where applicable)
- Election dates
- Factual data on candidates in various federal, state and local races
- General information on such topics as how to watch debates with a critical eye
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- ID requirements
- Polling place locations
- Registration deadlines
- Voter qualifications
- Voter registration forms
- Voting machines
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Vote411 in Washington State
LWVWA has participated in Vote411 since 2012. Our LWVWA Vote411 Committee handles Vote411 for the entire state of Washington, sending questions to all candidates in all races. In order to do this effectively, it relies on local leagues to help craft relevant questions for their candidates, to encourage candidates to respond to the questions, and to spread the word about Vote411.
How to Contact the Vote411 Committee
LWVWA maintains three email addresses for Vote411:
- Use vote411@LWVWA.org to:
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- Ask questions about Vote411
- Report problems with Vote411
- Submit forum information to be posted on Vote411
- Use vote411questions@LWVWA.org to:
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- Get clarification on crafting questions for candidates
- Submit candidate questions
Toolkit for Local Leagues
Local League involvement helps make Vote411 an indispensable voter tool. Use these resources to help maximize the value of Vote411.org to voters in your area:
Local League Sharing
This section is devoted to sharing local League projects and tools that may be of interest to other Leagues around the state. If you want to get in touch with your counterpart in another League, you can find their contact information on our Voter Services Network contact list (Link to come!).
Be a Voter Campaign
Candidate Events
Other
- Fair Campaign Practices Project (LWV of Clark County)
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- Young Voters Query Spokane County Auditor Videos:
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