It is an honor to step in as your President. Thank you for trusting me to guide us through this new League year. I’ve been reflecting on a comment repeated several times over at our National Night Out tabling event: “I don’t vote. It’s all just politics and I don’t trust any of it. It just doesn’t matter.” And so, just 26% of us voted in this year’s primary election.
As League members, we know that voting matters. We know that our vote is our voice. We understand that democracy is fragile and requires our time and commitment.
And we also understand the critical role played by local elected officials. Local decisions affect our lives in intimate ways. Our neighborhoods, our streets, our drinking water, the vibrancy of our communities, our ability to respond to crises. All these issues are affected by the decisions made locally.
Faced with this level of disillusionment, it is critical that we stay strong. As we look ahead, we reaffirm our core work. Virginia Case Solomon, LWVUS CEO, reminds us that together we will “help ensure that every eligible voter has free and fair access to the ballot box, that voters pick our leaders instead of leaders picking their voters, and that voters hold our elected officials accountable.”
I hope you will join us at this year’s Fire Up! event on September 9th. You will hear about the depth and breadth of work being done locally, statewide, and nationally. I believe you will be inspired by our terrific local League leaders, and I am confident that you will find work that connects with your own fiercely held passions.
There is more you can do:
-Sign up for our National Voter Registration Day marathon. Please join us at any of the three Goodwill Stores in Snohomish County. Read more about the effort in this newsletter, and on our
event calendar.
-Spread the word about the 25 Candidate Forums planned for the fall election. Find the details on our
website.
We need you. Let’s get fired up!