Voting & Democracy

Without voting, democracy cannot exist. LWV of Kitsap focuses on four key areas related to voting: voter registration, candidate forums, Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaigns, and providing nonpartisan voting information.

Voter Registration

Many of our League members participate in voter registration drives. Throughout the year, we go to locations (such as high schools, farmers markets, college campuses, libraries, the Salvation Army, etc.) to register voters and help people update their voter registration data.

Joan Spencer registers high school students on National Voter Registration Day

Candidate Forums

Before primary and general elections, we sponsor informative forums for voters. We invite candidates to answer questions from the public, and we invite experts to debate the pros and cons of certain ballot initiatives. Typically the forums are recorded; we post these recordings on our website afterwards.

A crowd at one of our in-person candidate forums

Get Out the Vote

Before elections, many of our League members participate in Get Out the Vote campaigns. You’ll see us with our signs on busy corners, near the ferry as it unloads, and walking around the local college campus, all to remind voters to send in their ballots.

League members at a Get Out the Vote drive
Some of our members at a Get Out the Vote event

Documents

LWV of Kitsap produced a document for talking to voters (with an emphasis on getting reluctant voters to vote).

Other Resources

We’ve put together posters, handouts, buttons (like those pictured below), and other items useful for Voter Registration and GOTV drives. Feel free to explore (and use any that are useful!) on our VR/GOTV Resources page.

"Rainbow Voter" was the winning button design in our contest.
We had a “vote for your favorite button design” contest in February 2020. This was the winning design, which we’ll be handing out at upcoming VR/GOTV events. Photo by Alicia Vause