Seven things you should do as a voter this year
January 1, 2016 • 2 minutes to read
1. Get registered to vote!
It’s easy to register online at www.sos.wa.gov/elections/myvote.
2. Find out what legislative and congressional districts you live in, who your elected law-makers are, what their priorities are and on what committees they sit.
Don’t know your districts? It’s easy to find out! Go to www.redistricting.wa.gov/DistrictFinder.
3. Learn the key organizations.
Learn their stands on the issues, their history, and their leadership. Important political organizational players in our state include:
- Association of Washington Business
- The Boeing Company
- Enterprise Washington
- Evergreen Freedom Foundation
- Service Employees International Union
- Stand for Children
- Washington Conservation Voters
- Washington Education Association
- Washington Realtors
- Washington State Association for Justice
- Washington State Hospital Association
- Washington State Labor Council
- Washington State Nurses Association
4. Study the fundraising patterns of your legislators on the Public Disclosure Commission’s website.
Find out how much money they have raised and from whom they’ve received it. The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission was voted into existence through the passage of a ballot measure in 1972. Among many other things, this body sets and enforces the limits on how much money any one person can donate to a candidate, and it provides transparent campaign fundraising information to the public. Visit www.pdc.wa.gov.
5. Attend a legislative forum or town hall meeting taking place in your district.
Learn more about where your legislators stand on the issues.
6. Learn the process and the “players.”
To which committees do bills of concern to nurses go in the Legislature? Who chairs those committees? Who decides what bills get voted on? You can find about upcoming legislative events and obtain legislative committee information by going to the home page of the Washington State Legislature at www.leg.wa.gov.
7. Meet with and/or communicate with your elected representatives — regularly!
The better they know you, the more accountable they will be to nurses and nursing. If you're not sure where to start, considering attending WSNA's Legislative Advocacy Boot Camp and Nurse Legislative Day.
For more...
To find out more about how you can be politically active, contact Nathasja Skorupa, WSNA Political Action Specialist, at 206.575.7979, ext 3005 or nskorupa@wsna.org.