Lunell Haught: League of Women Voters on a mission to help public play their part in democracy

By Lunell Haught

We call it campaign season because it goes on a long time.

The campaigns include candidates doorbelling, appearing in campaign ads, fundraising, exhibiting cringe-worthy behavior and talking about what they would do if elected.

In this season, the voter tries to figure out if the candidate is addressing issues that relate to the office in question. Voters also try to assess the likelihood of a candidate being able to follow through on campaign promises. Given that most candidates will be in an office where they will have to work with many other people with a variety of opinions, actually making a promise might be risky.

Only half of a campaign should be the candidate telling voters what they want the voter to hear. The other half should be the voters hearing answers to their questions and watching candidate behavior. This happens in debates, forums or speed-dating formats such as those hosted by the League of Women Voters of Washington and local leagues. These events are challenging to produce, but are unique because the candidates respond to questions submitted by the public, verified for facts, objectivity and relevance to the office.

Restating campaign material or attacking an opponent does not help voters make decisions. The League of Women Voters’ commitment is to voters who attend events in person or virtually. These events make it possible for the voter to hear the whole message, not a selected sound bite out of context. These types of events are becoming increasingly difficult for a variety of reasons. However, voters must insist candidates appear together in public.

The League of Women Voters of Washington has sponsored more than 40 candidate events this year. They have been covered by local and national media. The Washington secretary of state and U.S. Senate debates will be Sunday at Gonzaga University and available on TV and radio stations statewide.

The league was founded in 1920 to help women understand their responsibilities as voters. The league’s commitment to democracy endures, and it isn’t just for women. From inception, the league has been nonpartisan, committed to ensuring voters have the information they need to select a candidate and cast their vote.

Because voters may be unable to attend these type of events, the league provides multiple ways for them to learn more directly from candidates. Many events are held virtually or recorded so they can be viewed later. Voters can go to the League of Women Voters of Washington events page atlwvwa.org events to see the full list of events from across the state and obtain information on how to attend or view recordings. VOTE411.org is a website that will show voters everything that will be on their ballot. There is also an option for candidates to make statements on this site. If you don’t see your candidates, ask them why they aren’t there.

We want to know what our representatives think and how they act. They are called representatives because they represent us. We also want them to know about us, and we do that at public forums with our questions. Being an elected official is a hard job and a lot of power goes with it.

When you give someone that kind of power you want to be sure you’ve been able to make the best decision possible, based on real engagement. Voters should insist candidates participate in real public debates and forums.

Lunell Haught, of Spokane, is the president of the League of Women Voters of Washington. She is a retired consultant and teaches leadership and large scale organizational change at Gonzaga University.