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Lunell Haught, President Joan Lawson, Advocacy Portfolio Director Hayley Day, Editor |
Feb. 7, 2021 Vol. 53, Issue 05 |
Hundreds of people in Washington prisons are being held in solitary confinement, and a disproportionate number of those individuals are people of color. Although the United Nations recognizes that solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days constitutes torture, people in Washington prisons can be held for 30 days or even longer. SB 5413 acknowledges the severe negative psychological impacts of solitary confinement and mandates that it should only be used in emergency circumstances for short periods of time. If your senator is on the Human Services, Reentry and Rehabilitation Committee, please ask him or her to vote yes on SB 5413.
HB 1156 would allow local jurisdictions the option to use Ranked-Choice Voting, or RCV, for local elections. LWVWA positions on representative government support alternative election systems, including RCV. RCV offers voters more choice, eliminates the spoiler effect, encourages more positive, issued-focus campaigns, and may lower election and campaign costs when jurisdictions choose to eliminate primaries. And ask your representatives to support HB 1156, Increasing representation and voter participation in local elections. HB 1156 will be heard in the House State Government and Tribal Relations committee at 1:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8. You can also register before noon on Monday to support for this bill by selecting “Pro” for your position.
Across our country, there has been an unconscionable rise of threats towards election workers, from elected positions to our front line workers, counting and tabulating ballots, all selflessly doing their civic duty to uphold our democracy. These threats are not only to individuals, but to the functioning of our democracy. SB 5148 will significantly increase the punishment for such crimes and send the message that continued violence in response to disappointing election results will not be tolerated. Please ask your senator to support this bill now.
The LWVWA supports the following League Legislative Issues in the current Washington state legislative session. Click on an issue to learn more, including current and upcoming bills affecting the issue. In this virtual legislative session, you can also testify for a bill online.
Elections | Critical actions needed to protect election workers and support Ranked-Choice Voting.
Natural Resources | Protect natural resources that are impacted by climate change and provide resilience.
IMPROVE EDUCATION
ESTABLISHING FAIR REVENUE
HOW TO TESTIFY FOR A BILL ONLINE
CALENDAR
OTHER WAYS TO FOLLOW THE STATE LEGISLATURE