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Advocacy & Action

"The world is a dangerout place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein.

As a nonpartisan political organization, the League of Women Voters works to understand policy issues and advocate for those policies that are in alignment with officially adopted national, state and local positions. League Positions are adopted after thorough study and with consensus of the membership. Advocacy is simply creating public support for an idea, plan, or way of doing something.

Advocacy Team Chair: Dorie Belisle at advocacy@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org

The League does not endorse candidates or endorse political parties.

Action Alert!

Contact Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to let them know you support their opposition to the SAVE Act.

Our Democracy is in Peril! What Can I Do?

Contact Congress
- Our local members of Congress support League positions, but do thank them for their support.
- Contact the White House or call them at (202) 456-7041.
- Want to lobby members of Congress in other counties or states? The most effective way is to ask sympathetic friends or family who live there to lobby their own members of Congress.
  - Find contact information a senator here.
  - Find contact information about a representative here. (Know their ZIP code to search.)
  - Help them by drafting a short message they can adapt and send to their local members of Congress. For example:
    - (To a senator) Please vote NO on the SAVE Act. Voting is a fundamental right in our democracy. Election fraud is rare, so please don't make it harder to vote.
    - (To a representative) Please exercise your Constitutional power and overrule the illegal executive orders of the President.
    - What's most important to you?
    - Accordion Widget
      
      Some Executive Orders of concern
      
      Some Executive actions of concern
      
      Attempting to make changes to voter registration (requiring proof of citizenship) and elections (only votes received by election day can be counted);
      
      Deporting immigrants without due process;
      
      Freezing Congressionally approved federal funds intended for states;
      
      Attempting to defund science and health research;
      
      Executive orders targeting trans youth and gender-affirming care;
      
      Targeting trans military services members;
      
      Attempting to fire federal employees;
      
      Attempting to end birthright citizenship
      
      Attempting to dismantle the US Department of Education;
      
      Dismantling USAID;
      
      Attempting to abolish the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
      
      Threatening to take away university research funds.
      
      Dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Make your voice heard! Check LWVBWC's website to find upcoming civic actions.
Be an active voter! Is your registration up to date? Check voteWA.gov.
- Ask family and friends if they are registered to vote.
Be an informed voter and advocate.
- Learn how to spot mis- and dis-information.
- Subscribe to a reliable news source, and support local news.
- Follow pro-democracy groups on social media.
- Build community.
Join the League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County and support League efforts to preserve our democracy.

Note: This "reel" runs in Facebook.
To listen, click on the volume icon in the
upper right corner of the video.

Can the President Do That?

Watch these very short videos explaining why the President can't do much of what he's trying to do.

Can the President Disobey the Courts?

Can the President Overrule the States?

Can the President Do That?

For a more in depth understanding of how the Constitution, law and precedence constrains the president, watch this fascinating one-hour video.

Program for the League of Women Voters of Minnesota
Speaker: Professor Alan Rozenshtein

Forms of Advocacy:

Lobbying: Lobbying involves direct communication with legislators to influence specific legislation.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Nonprofits can raise awareness about critical issues through campaigns, social media, and community events.
Coalitions and Partnerships: Collaborating with other organizations amplifies your advocacy efforts.
Educational Efforts: Providing information to policymakers and the public helps shape opinions and policies.
Engaging in Respectful Conversations: As a member, reach out to others and be willing to ask respectful questions and share your values and goals.

Contact Advocacy Team Chair Dorie Belisle at advocacy@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org

Join the Advocacy Discussion Forum

A discussion forum is an informal place to share information. In the Advocacy forum, that information may be related to demonstrations, boycotts or other civic actions. Members who select "advocacy" as an interest are automatically members of the forum, although they can choose to opt out.

Normally contributions to the forum are emailed to forum members, and they can "reply" to those emails to add their information and thoughts. The League doesn't officially endorse the contents of the forum but we want to encourage a free flow of information and ideas.

To join the Advocacy forum:

Log into the LWVBWC website
Look for your name at the top of the page and hover or touch the menu appears. Click on/touch Profile.
On the profile page, look for Your Website Functions and click on Interests.
Find Advocacy and check the box.

Once you’ve selected the Advocacy interest, you are automatically a member of the Advocacy forum and you can post information to share with others. Most demonstrations or calls to action are community lead and not LWV endorsed, but our members like to know what is happening! If you have trouble joining, contact webmaster@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org