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HomeCivics Education

Civics Education

 



Your Vote Does Count!

What do you know about....

The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission?

Watch these two short videos!

Home Rule and the County Charter


The Charter Review Commission

What do you know about....

Election Security?

Watch these two short videos!

How Safe Are Your Ballots?

How Safe is Our Count?

 
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Further information
Further information

Cassidy, Christina. February 8, 2024. “Multiple Threats to Election Systems Prompt U.S. Cybersecurity Agency to Boost Cooperation with the States.” Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/election-security-2024-voting-cybersecurity-8bda7ab6b3f921d363ab3257fd4b378b | AP News. Accessed 9/7/2024.


Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. [2024]. “Rumor vs Reality.” CISA. https://www.cisa.gov/topics/election-security/rumor-vs-reality.  Accessed 9/7/2024.


Lopez, Ashley. July 3, 2023. “Mail Voting is Still Pretty Popular, Even Without the Pressure of the Pandemic.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/07/03/1185843074/mail-voting-is-still-pretty-popular-even-without-the-pressure-of-the-pandemic. Accessed 9/7/2024.


National Conference of State Legislatures. March 7, 2024. “Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail, and Other Voting at Home Options.” NCSL. https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voting-outside-the-polling-place. Accessed 9/7/2024.


De Witte, Melissa. 2020.“Stanford Scholars Find No Partisan Advantage of Mail-In, Absentee Voting. But Other Challenges Lie Ahead.” Stanford Report, September 3rd, 2020. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2020/09/examining-effects-challenges-mail-in-voting. Accessed 9/7/2024.


Washington Secretary of State. [2024]. “Securing Your Vote.” Secretary of State. https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/securing-your-vote Accessed 9/7/2024.


Whatcom County Auditor’s Office. [2024]. “Election Laws and Security.” Auditors Office. https://www.whatcomcounty.us/3948/election-laws-security. Accessed 9/7/2024.

What do you know about....

Powers of the Federal Government?

Watch these two short videos!

What is the Separation of Powers?

The Federal Government Triangle

What Keeps the Government Running?

The Civil Service

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Further reading and viewing
Further reading and viewing

Capodice, Nick and Hannah McCarthy. 2020. A Users Guide to Democracy. Celadon Books.


Galbraith, Jean. Jan. 1, 2018. “The Separation of Powers Today.” Insights on Law and Society, Vol. 18, issue 1. American Bar Association. Division of Public Education. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/publications/insights-on-law-and-society/volume-18/insights-issue-1-vol-1/the-separation-of-powers-today/. Accessed 3.14 24.



History.com editors. July 27, 2023. “Checks and Balances.” History.com at A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/checks-and-balances.   Accessed 3/14/24.

What do you know about....

Ranked Choice Voting?

Watch these three short videos!


What is Ranked Choice Voting?

From FairVote, a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all.

Ranked Choice Voting -
Is it Better than Primaries?

 


Ranked Choice Voting in Practice


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Further viewing
Further viewing

A new video produced by Vox explains alternatives to today's voting system in addition to ranked choice voting, like multi-member districts.


Proportional Representation in Portland explains a way of electing public officials for those voting on Measure 26-228--which, in fact, passed in November 2022.


Why Elections Aren't Working for Most of Us is a video produced by the Washington Community Alliance. They go on to explain that Better Elections are Possible.


What is Proportional Ranked Choice Voting?? It's explained by the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center. They also explain What is Single-Winner Ranked Choice Voting?


Washington for Equitable Representation is an organization that promotes ranked choice voting and multi-member districts. Their website includes two five minute videos that explain why they advocate for both.

What do you know about....

The Electoral College?

Watch these four short videos!



 What is the Electoral College?

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Each presidential candidate is allowed the same number of electors corresponding to the state’s representation in Congress.  So, our candidates each get 2 electors for our 2 senators, and 10 electors for our congressional districts for a total of 12.  In comparison, candidates in Wyoming are allowed 3, those in California are allowed 54, and those in Minnesota are allowed 10.   

States do have some flexibility about how their assigned electoral votes are apportioned to candidates. Washington State is among the “winner-take-all” states in which the candidate who wins the majority popular vote statewide gets all 12 of their electors for the national count, regardless of how closely other candidates came to a win.



How We Got the Electoral College

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Ideally, the electoral college encourages candidates to engage with a broader geographic area, including small states, rather than limiting their efforts to large states with large populations. It also reduces federal influence on the outcome by giving both citizens and states a voice and avoiding the possible corruption that might follow if all presidential elections were decided by a vote in Congress. 




 Problem With the Electoral College

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There has been a lot of debate about whether the electoral college is truly representative. When population is compared to number of electoral votes, it appears that each individual popular vote “carries more weight” in Wyoming (1 electoral vote is “shared” by about 194,685 people) than Washington State (1 vote is “shared” by 662,595 people.) Theoretically, this might call into question a treasured American ideal of each popular vote being equal in weight. It is also possible for a candidate to win the popular vote nationally and still lose the election which is finally decided indirectly by electoral votes not directly by popular votes.  This has happened 5 times in our history under somewhat different circumstances. The most recent example was the election in 2016.




Getting Unstuck from the Electoral College

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Since 2006, a movement to refine and improve the electoral college system has suggested that change should be based on the ability of states to band together in legal compacts to address interstate issues rather than being based on change in the Constitution. States joining the compact will pledge all their electoral votes to the candidate that wins the majority of popular votes nationwide (instead of all their state electoral votes going just to the candidate that wins the popular vote in each state). Every state legislature has considered the compact, and 16 (who have a total of 205 electoral votes out of the national 538) have voted it into law.  But the compact does not take effect until enough states join to provide at least 270 electoral votes which is the threshold for a candidate to win a national election.


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Further reading
Further reading

Capodice, Nick, and Hannah McCarthy. 2020. A User’s Guide to Democracy. New York, Celadon Books.

Gale. 2021. “Electoral College.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. https://www.gale.com/open-access/electoral-college. Accessed 8/5/2024


National Archives. July 27, 2023. “The Electoral College.” U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college Accessed 9/5/2024


National Conference of State Legislatures. April 19, 2024. “National Popular Vote.” NCSL. https://ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/national-popular-vote Accessed 9/5/2024


ProCon.org. December 9, 2021. “The Electoral College – Top 3 Pros and Cons.” ProCon.org. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org. Accessed 9/5/2024.


Ross, Dave. December 14, 2020. “Why Was the Electoral College Created.” History.com at A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/news/electoral-college-founding-fathers-constitutional-convention  Accessed 9/5/2024.


Walker, Allyson. Jan 5, 2021. “The Electoral College Explained.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. Accessed 9/5/2024.

What do you know about....

Primary Elections?

Watch these three short videos!


What's With Presidential Primaries?

Problems with Presidential Primaries


Washington Primary Elections




Event: Pizzas, Primaries and Politics


On April 11, 2024, the League in collaboration with Whatcom Community College students and faculty presented a program about primary elections.  WCC students Jovanda Wong and Vi Vo (pictured above) gave a presentation about Presidential primaries.  Students also presented information about Washington State primaries and panels including local political leaders and students discussed challenges of our current system, how election methods have changed over time, and voter engagement.  The program also included a demonstration of ranked choice voting. 






Co-Leads: Minda Rae Amiran and Annette Holcomb


Contact us >

Discussion forum for committee members...

Click here >


Civics Education Team

Mission:  To develop informed, active citizens by connecting teachers, students and other interested citizens with non-partisan civics education resources to empower their participation in government. We provide speakers, grants, support for school civics projects, and textbook information.

Civics Education Textbooks

The State We're In: Washington

 The League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund recently launched a major new Civic Education Project to teach students how they can participate in making and keeping government effective.

The State We're In: Washington: Your Guide to State, Tribal, and Local Government (8th edition) is written for students in middle school and up. Another edition, also called The State We're In: Washington, published in 2020, is written for grades 3-5.

Professionally written and illustrated with graphs, photos and drawings, both of these books cover the basic ideas and structures of our democratic government. They include sidebars about people and historical events, and reflect the ethnic and geographic diversity of our state.

These are the first civics texts to include current and historic tribal governments and are aligned with current state standards.

Click here for more information, purchase options, and access to free online versions of the texts. To see a sample copy, contact Annette Holcomb.

Civics Education Speakers List

For teachers of civics and social studies in public schools throughout Whatcom County,  we offer a list of public officials willing to speak with students about their duties and challenges, in person or by Zoom.  The list also includes LWV members who can address various other topics in the civics curriculum.  The list has been compiled by the LWV Civics Education Committee at the request of local teachers, and will be updated frequently. 

To contact a potential speaker, click the button:

Contact speakers >

To view a PDF of the entire speakers' list, click here:

Speakers list >



Civics Education in Bellingham Schools

a presentation by Jennifer Reidel,
civics teacher, Bellingham High School

for the Civics Education Team

Several American flags

Take the Test!


Applicants for United States citizenship must take a civics test to demonstrate their knowledge of American history and government. During the interview, the immigration officer will ask the applicant 10 questions out of a list of 100, and the applicant must answer six correctly  in order to pass the test.  They must answer orally--it's not a multiple choice test!

How good is your knowledge of civics?  Take the test here.   (Repeat tests will offer you different questions.)
Poster-What does it take to be a good citizen

Civics Education Posters from

League of Women Voters Washington

 

Wondering how you can help encourage engaged citizens?


These colorful posters can be ordered here.

Que se necesita para ser un buen ciudadano

Civics Education Resources from

Washington Secretary of State

Washington Secretary of State Civics education website

Outreach materials include:

  • Guide to Registering Voters
  • Voter Registration forms. Request them online or print them in any the 23 languages available
  • Register to vote video in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese
  • Voting in Washington State brochure in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese
  • New! Felony Conviction and Voting Rights Restoration brochure in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese
  • Vote-by-mail path of ballot
  • Social media graphics

Find more...

Local Connections and Resources

Directory of Elected Officials 2024


Each year the League produces this comprehensive document containing contact information for government officials serving the citizens of Whatcom County. For further information contact info@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org.

 

 

52 Women of Whatcom


Inspiring stories of 52 Women in Whatcom County who contributed in diverse ways build a healthy, strong community for all. The book, 52 Women of Whatcom is also available at Village Books.

National Resources

Educating for American Democracy


A National Collaborative Initiative developing a roadmap for teaching Civics Education. Educating for American Democracy has a growing resource library which aims to showcase the diverse paths that EAD-aligned history and civics education can take. 


Can Civics Save America?


An article by George Packer in The Atlantic explores if teaching civics could restore health to American democracy. Read here.