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The VOTER~May 2026

LWVCC Communications

The VOTER

May 2026

Coffee with the League
May 4, Monday, 9-10:30 a.m., Garden Room at Latte Da Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, 205 E 39th St., Vancouver
May discussion topic: LWVCC Observer Corps
Registration recommended

LWVCC Member Orientation (zoom)
May 11, Monday, 4-5 p.m.
Registration recommended (Members only - login required).

LWVCC Annual Meeting
May 16, Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon, CDM Caregiving Services, 2300 NE Andresen Rd., Vancouver & Zoom
Volunteers are needed (Members only - login required).

Our Time to Shine Family Resource Fair
May 30, Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, WSU Vancouver Campus,14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave. Vancouver
Volunteers are needed (Members only - login required).

Multicultural Resource Fair
May 30, Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Hudson's Bay High School, 1601 E McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver
Volunteers are needed (Members only - login required).

Coffee with the League
June 1, Monday, 9-10:30 a.m., Garden Room at Latte Da Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, 205 E 39th St., Vancouver
June discussion topic: TBD
Registration recommended

LWVWA State Council
June 5-7, Friday-Sunday, South Puget Sound College, Lacey. More information here.

No Kings rally
June 14, Sunday, Waterfront Park, Vancouver

Juneteenth
June 20, Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Esther Short Park, 605 Esther St. Vancouver
Volunteers are needed (Members only - login required).

LWVUS National Convention
June 25-28, Thursday-Sunday, Columbus, OH. More information here.

Pride in the Park
July 11, Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Esther Short Park, 605 Esther St. Vancouver
Volunteers are needed (Members only - login required).

Battle Ground Pride
August 1, Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Battle Ground Community Center, 940 E Main St. Battle Ground
Volunteers are needed (Members only - login required).

Primary Election
August 4, Tuesday

Voting Rights Day of Action
August 8, Saturday

Annual LWVCC Picnic
August 15, Saturday noon-2 p.m., Lewisville Regional Park, 26411 NE Lewisville Highway, Battle Ground

Board Bulletin: News from your board

May is a very important month for the League of Women Voters of Clark County: It’s Annual Meeting time. At this meeting on Saturday, May 16, we celebrate the past year’s accomplishments (it’s been quite a year!), enjoy a potluck brunch, and welcome a guest speaker from the League of United Latin American Citizens.

The speaker will be especially compelling as our members recently proposed Immigrant Rights as one of our top program priorities this year.

The Annual Meeting also involves some vital League business that members need to vote on, including our program focus, budget, and incoming officers and board members. If you’re a League member, please be there either in person or via Zoom. Voting requires a quorum – in our case, at least 40 members – so your presence is important. Get the details on the Annual Meeting below.

May also marks the beginning of the League’s busy spring/summer season. One of our members’ most enjoyable activities is “tabling” at community gatherings and events. You volunteer a couple of hours of your time to talk with people about voting and the League. Newcomers are paired with experienced table-tenders, and there are materials and giveaways to draw people.

May is also the start of Candidate Forum season, and your last chance to sign up for the League of Women Voters of Washington State Council June 5-7. Organizers describe Council as an “innovation lab” where members and leaders come together to learn, share, and shape the League’s future. And, there’s a special registration rate for new members. In this issue, you’ll find all the details on tabling, forums, and Council.

See you at the Annual Meeting!

You are invited to the Annual Meeting on May 16

Are you are getting excited? At our annual meeting, we will celebrate all the work we have accomplished, hear from a special guest from the League of United Latin American Citizens, and enjoy a potluck brunch.

We also will vote on several important matters that will keep our League operating over the next fiscal year. On April 16, members were sent an email with links to documents for review before the meeting. You also can find these documents by logging in to the member home page of our website.

To conduct our business, we will need a quorum of 20% of membership (right now that’s at least 40 members). We are counting on YOU to attend! If you cannot make it in person, please use this zoom link to attend virtually.

Focus on candidate forums

May is the start of candidate forum season.

Please sign up on the member "interests" webpage to receive upcoming volunteer emails and information about candidate forums.

Candidate Forum Committee meetings will begin soon. Once filing week ends on May 8, we'll know which races will require a primary and begin planning forum events.

For questions, or to discuss the open co-chair role, contact Melanie Handshaw, Candidate Forums Chair.

Citizen 411 celebrates books, writing

Citizen 411 hosts Teresa, Tracy, and Rachel at KXRW studios

Tracy, Teresa and Rachel want you to enjoy reading and learn about good writing! In May, the Citizen 411 hosts interview Jesse Morse and Jennifer Denrow, co-directors of the May 9 Clark College Creative Writing Festival, a free event open to any community member. Our guests discuss the process of writing, books they love, emerging genres, and how artificial intelligence affects their teaching and all of us – and what it means for the future of communication.

KXRW produces Citizen 411 for free – an astonishing civic gift! Their hard-working staff works for free as well. This worthy little powerhouse of independent radio operates on a shoestring – no big corporate donors – just little guys like the League. KXRW really delivers to our community. Even if you are thinking globally – please act locally! Consider making a donation by going to the station’s website.

Civics prepares for tabling season

Memorial Day is traditionally the kickoff for summer. In Civics, it is also the kickoff for tabling season. Working the League table at community gatherings means volunteering two hours of your time to talk to people about voting, registering to vote and what the League does. If you have never done tabling before, not to fear. You are always paired with someone who has done it before. You will be provided with the materials and swag to draw people to your table. Please log in and sign up here.

LWVCC says NO Kings

On March 28, a number of League members showed up for the No Kings rally at Marshall Park in Vancouver.

Here's the photo album we put together:

Speak Up School held March 25

About 20 people attended the League’s second Speak Up School, a workshop focused on how to testify before public bodies such as city councils and school boards.

The virtual event March 25 was led by Cynthia Gardner, who introduced a simple and effective methodology to help participants organize their testimony and hone their messages. Students spent most of the 90-minute workshop practicing the methodology with coaches who helped with organization, delivery, and building confidence.

A special guest coach, County Councilor Sue Marshall, regaled the group with tales about what’s it’s like to be on the receiving end of testimony.

Thanks to the many volunteers who made this possible: Kate Castenson, Nancy Halverson, Melanie Handshaw, Tracy Reilly Kelly, Brenda Lillge, Sue Marshall, Mary Schick, Judie Stanton, Teresa Torres, and Judy Zeider.

League member finds stepping stone
to holding public office

Kate Castenson

By Kate Hobbie

The event was titled You Can Run for Office, but when she joined the planning team for it last year, Kate Castenson wasn’t thinking of running herself. As she listened to the panel of current and former local public officials, though, she felt “energized” – especially when an outgoing planning commissioner encouraged her to consider that role.

You Can Run for Office is a Clark County League project that offers insights and training for people interested in serving on a local government board. The public sessions have drawn dozens of participants over the past two years.

You Can Run for Office had an impact on Castenson: The Claremont McKenna College graduate is now serving a four-year term on the Vancouver Planning Commission, an advisory body for the city.

You can read the full profile here.

LWVUS monthly update

The latest headlines from the national League:

The LWVUS blog outlines the barriers the SAVE America Act would have for survivors of domestic violence, in addition to the existing barriers to voting they already face.

LWVUS joined more than 65 organizations in signing a letter supporting abortion as health care. “The Weldon Amendment is an appropriations rider that threatens the loss of federal funding for federal agencies and programs or state and local governments that require health insurance plans, health care institutions, or heath care providers to cover, provide, or refer for abortions,” the letter says;

League President Dianna Wynn was the keynote speaker for the annual fundraising luncheon of the LWV Palm Beach County, Florida, in March. She spoke about LWVUS declaring a constitutional crisis, Unite & Rise 8.5 and the League’s role as a nonpartisan political organization.

The League calls the federal indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center a war on the civil rights movement.

LWVUS announces a new partnership with the Civics Center to promote high school voter registration.

CEO Celina Stewart urges Congress to oppose financing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Customs and Border Protection.

LWV National Convention set for June

Would you like to attend the LWV National Convention? It’s coming up June 25-28 in Columbus, Ohio. LWVUS has sent emailed invitations to all LWV members. If you are registered or planning to register, please let our League know by sending an email to membership@lwvclarkcounty.org.

LWVWA Council: The Power of US

Join delegates from around Washington at the state League Council June 5-7 in Lacey! You can choose to participate for one day or for the entire weekend. Think of Council as an innovation lab – a place where members and leaders come together to learn, share and shape the future of the League. There’s a special $60 registration rate for members who have joined since last June. Find all the details here and contact Tracy Reilly Kelly if you want to be a delegate or observer.

LWVCC membership monthly update

Do you want to engage with voters at LWVCC at summer community festivals?

Remember to log into LWVCC members-only website to find volunteering opportunities and upcoming events! Our League participates in many community events during the summer. Check out our Event Calendar to find the dates. More events will be added to the calendar as summer approaches.

Click on Member Actions, then click on Volunteering at the bottom of the drop-down menu to find all upcoming volunteer opportunities. We look forward to having you represent our League at these popular community events.

LWVCC New Member Orientation on May 11 from 4-5 p.m.

Join us for an orientation on our League, resources, and a tour of our members-only website. Go to our event calendar to register.

Observer Corps: keeping you informed

By Janet Hedgepath

“Effective Government is the Forgotten Pillar of Democracy.”

Citing the Richard Pildes quote above, Danny Westneat goes on to say in a recent Seattle Times column that “having government work well has become an afterthought in the public dialogue.” Voters are more focused on the present administration than they are on “the boring but important expenditure of local tax dollars.”

The League’s Observer Corps aims to keep you informed about important and timely local issues. When citizens pay attention to local governing bodies, those entities tend to respond with more responsible and effective governance. Here are a couple of current issues:

Evergreen School Board: There is continued controversy over supplemental contracts that were paid to four administrators during the 2023 union negotiations. Parents and teachers contend that the money was inappropriately paid as they are all salaried employees. Furthermore, the lead administrator’s job description includes union negotiations. The current superintendent stated at the Feb. 10 board meeting that nothing amiss had happened. Parents and teachers did a public records request and to quote one of the parents:

“We did get confirmation from the state auditor's office that they did not review or approve of those supplemental contracts. They also said they don't know if the district even submitted them for review as they do not keep the documents that were not reviewed after the audit. So what the superintendent said at the Feb. 10 board meeting about the supplemental contracts being reviewed and approved by the SAO was false.”

This issue has been brought up by parents and teachers at every board meeting with no further resolution.

Comprehensive Plan: On April 27, the County Council was to hold a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan, to discuss and select a "preferred alternative." This decision will drive how growth happens in Clark County for the next 20 years. The Comp Plan update happens every 10 years. The work on this plan has been going on for several years now.

Once a preferred alternative is selected, staff will complete a final Environmental Impact Study and hold public meetings. The plan will be submitted to the Department of Commerce for their 60-day review. Then the Planning Commission will hold public hearings and the council will review those recommendations and adopt the final Comprehensive Plan. During the Commerce review, the plan can be appealed. Of note, the county has a history of having its plans appealed successfully. The above adoption process should consider not only councilor preferences, but what will be legal under the Growth Management Act.

Additional information about the Comprehensive Plan can be found here.