News > WA Government

Spokane judge blocks Trump rule restricting immigration for people who need government help

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 11, 2019, 9:47 p.m.

The Trump administration proposed a tightening of the definition of a public charge that would allow denying the application for permanent residence to anyone who receives public benefits for more than 12 months in a three-year period. U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against those changes Friday.

News > WA Government

Washington falls slightly in State Energy Efficiency Scorecard rankings

Mon., Oct. 7, 2019, 5 a.m.

While Gov. Jay Inslee’s emphasis on combating climate change has helped the state land at the No. 10 spot on the list last year, the ranking represented a slight fall in the standings.

News > WA Government

Tim Eyman-backed initiative would upend state transportation funding

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 7, 2019, 2:17 p.m.

Tim Eyman’s latest anti-tax ballot measure is either a Robin Hood-like gesture for the people of Washington or a disastrous gambit that will kill the state’s necessary transportation projects. It just depends who you ask.

News > WA Government

‘It’s about The Big One’: Amendment would give state Legislature broad powers in case of catastrophe

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 4, 2019, 7:56 a.m.

Constitutional amendment would expand legislative powers in catastrophic incidents.

News > WA Government

Washington voters can ‘advise’ on a dozen tax changes, but lawmakers can ignore them

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 4, 2019, 7:55 a.m.

A dozen advisory votes are on the November ballot.

News > WA Government

Commission named every 10 years to redraw Washington’s congressional, legislative boundaries

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

A bipartisan commission draws Washington’s congressional and legislative boundaries.

News > WA Government

Need more details to fill out your ballot? Here are some sources to help.

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

Need more details to fill out a ballot? Here are sources to help. Below are some sources of information to help you make an informed choice on your ballot.

News > WA Government

Picking a candidate isn’t always easy. Here are tips from the League of Women Voters to be a smart voter.

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

Make a list of the values you have and what you care about. Then you will be ready to look for candidates and issues that match. Make a candidate report card

News > WA Government

S-R partners with League of Woman Voters on Your Vote

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

About us The League of Women Voters of Washington is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. There are about 20 local Leagues throughout Washington that have more than 2,200 members.

News > WA Government

Ten misconceptions about registering to vote, submitting a ballot in Washington

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

The process of registering to vote and casting a ballot in Washington state has several distinctive features, which can create some confusion after a resident moves to a new address from either within state borders or from another state with different electoral laws. Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton, who’s served 20 years in the office and is among the longest-serving elected auditors in the state, provided a list of common misunderstandings in the process, from applying for a ballot through casting it. Misconception No. 1) If I notify one agency of my new address, others will automatically get the memo.

News > WA Government

Voters can make laws when legislators won’t

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

Voters have options to take the law into their own hands when the Legislature won’t.

News > WA Government

Voting is a right often ignored and sometimes trampled

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

Voting is a right for all American citizens, but is often one of the most ignored rights, and occasionally one of the most trampled rights.

News > WA Government

Washington elections are a long process, start to finish

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

In Washington, Election Day is a misnomer. In the state’s all-mail balloting system, registered voters get their ballots delivered to their legal residence about 18 days before the deadline for returning them, and local election officials continue to count properly cast ballots that arrive for as many as three weeks after that deadline.

News > WA Government

Washington’s 2020 presidential election starts in January and ends in December

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

For the first time in state history, Washington voters of both major parties will cast ballots in a presidential primary that will help select the two party’s nominees.

News > WA Government

What to watch for when watching political advertisements

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

When the calendar nears Election Day all over Washington, it can seem like the stream of political advertisements from the TV and radio will never end. The First Amendment largely protects the contents of these advertisements, and while it can be easy to link a particular candidate or campaign to some of the spots broadcast into your home or car, others aren’t so simple.

News > WA Government

Women nationwide won the right to vote after long struggle 100 years ago, but Washington voters expanded suffrage a decade earlier

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

On Aug. 26, 1920, the women’s right to vote in the United States will turn 100. But the big party for Washington came much earlier, on Nov. 8, 1910, when it became the fifth state to give women the vote.

News > WA Government

Inslee issues executive order banning flavored vaping products

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 27, 2019, 6:54 p.m.

In a press conference in Seattle on Friday, Governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order issuing an emergency ban against flavors for nicotine and cannabis vaping products. The order cannot take effect before a vote by the Washington Board of Health on Oct. 9.

News > WA Government

Confusing affirmative action initiative a product of long back-and-forth about best way to afford opportunity

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 27, 2019, 9:53 a.m.

If you signed petitions this spring to put Referendum 88 on the November election lot because you oppose affirmative action laws, should you mark it “Approved” or “Rejected” on your ballot? We explain.

News > WA Government

Washington sues Trump over transfer of $89M from Puget Sound Navy base to border wall

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 19, 2019, 9:42 p.m.

Washington sues Trump administration over the transfer of money for Navy construction project.

News > WA Government

Spin Control: Friday 13th was bad for Tim Eyman

Sun., Sept. 15, 2019, 4 a.m.

If initiative entrepreneur Tim Eyman hasn’t previously put any credence in warnings about Friday the 13th, he might want to start.