News / Articles

Battle Ground Pride
August 1, Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Battle Ground Community Center, 940 E Main St. Battle Ground
Volunteer here (Members only - login required).

Coffee with the League
August 3, Monday, 9-10:30 a.m., outdoor patio at Latte Da Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, 205 E 39th St., Vancouver
Topics of discussion: the primary election and other summer events. Register here.

Primary Election
August 4, Tuesday

National Night Out
August 4, Tuesday, 4:30-6:30 p.m., LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park, 13412 NE LeRoy Haagen Memorial Dr.
Volunteer here (Members only - login required).

Annual LWVCC Picnic
August 15, Saturday noon-2 p.m., Lewisville Regional Park, 26411 NE Lewisville Highway, Battle Ground

Vancouver Peace and Justice Fair
September 12, Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Esther Short Park, 605 Esther St. Vancouver
Volunteer here (Members only - login required).

Membership Meeting
September 12, Saturday 10 a.m.-noon, CDM Caregiving Services, 2300 NE Andresen Rd., Vancouver

National Voter Registration Day
September 15, Tuesday 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., WSU Vancouver Campus, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave.

By Tracy Reilly Kelly
LWVCC President

I wish I were sitting in a comfy chair across from you, so we could chat about the splendid community actions our League is taking! We need to start meeting over coffee or wine so we can connect.

If you have even a modicum of time, we need YOU. We are present in our community - tabling at festivals and running campaign forums, with more to come this Fall. I learned so much at the recent candidate forums that I changed my choice of candidate for one race after seeing them all in person.

Now, our election observing season begins under our brilliant Edri Geiger. Observers must get training and we have filled the quota for this year, but do consider volunteering next year!

Besides election observers, we have an ongoing Observer Corps covering the many commissions and councils in our city and county. Learning about them will be the focus at our September membership meeting.

As your president, I’ve been busy this summer earning us two prestigious grants. One ($1,000) is a partnership with the Historic Trust for Constitution Day Sept. 17. The other ($750) is from the national League for a pilot project called the Skeptic’s Picnic. The idea is to build trust with low-involvement voters. You start with “Hi, I’m Tracy…” rather than “Hey, listen to my great idea.” It’s called “relational organizing” and you’ll hear more about it next month. 

I feel certain you joined LWV because we are the most trusted grassroots lobbying organization in the country. You’re connected now! Please contact me to share what actions you think we should take to defend our democracy.

Come one, come all  -  it’s the summer picnic!

Time to dust off those favorite picnic recipes and share some relaxing social time with other League members and their families. 

Our annual picnic is Aug. 15 at noon at Lewisville Regional Park, a 154-acre gem on the East Fork Lewis River just north of Battle Ground. Lewisville is Clark County’s oldest regional park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. There was a fire there this spring, but our shelter, Knotty Pine, was untouched.

Bring a dish to share, your non-alcoholic drink of choice, and anything you’d like to grill. Bill Whipple, our resident Grill Maestro, will have everything ready for you. Do the environment a favor and bring your own plates and utensils (though we’ll have some for those who forget). 

Lewisville Park is two miles north of Battle Ground on Highway 503 (formal address: 26411 NE Lewisville Highway.). Our Knotty Pine shelter is accessible from several parking areas; check out the map here. League members will be on hand to guide you to the shelter.

Don’t worry about fees – Aug. 15 is a free-parking day at Lewisville.

See you there! If you have any questions, please contact Janet Hedgepath. You can find her email in the Membership Directory.

Candidates in seven races participate in forums

Candidates for seven local offices participated in public forums conducted by the League.

Three forums were held at the Vancouver Community Library in July and were aired on CVTV.

The forums can be watched on CVTV’s website via the following links:

July 2 forum, featuring candidates for Clark County Councilor, Districts 1 and 2, and Clark Public Utilities Commissioner, District 3.

July 3 forum, with candidates for Legislative Districts 17 and 49, State Representative, Position 1

July 12 forum, featuring candidates for Clark County Auditor and Clark County Clerk.

Open the photo album!

League interviews congressional candidates

With nine candidates vying for nomination to the 3rd Congressional District seat, the League decided to conduct individual interviews rather than hold a traditional forum, which would have been unwieldy.

We reached out to all of the candidates and interviewed eight of them via Zoom. The ninth candidate, Austin Braswell, did not respond to repeated efforts to reach him.

The completed 15-minute videos were sent to CVTV, which assembled them into a show. You can watch it here.

Constitution Day teach-in at Historic Trust

Mark your calendar for a special event on Constitution Day, Sept. 17. Our League will partner with the Historic Trust to hold a state grant-financed “Teach-In” from 4-8 p.m. at the Artillery Barracks at Fort Vancouver.

Speakers include Carolyn Long, professor of politics at Washington State University-Vancouver; Melissa Williams, a leader in higher education for diversity, equity, and inclusion; and John Jay, a member of the Clark County Charter Review Commission.

Family games and crafts also are on the agenda, and we need volunteers. We’ll play a participatory game called Can You Pass the Naturalization Test? using the Kahoot! app. (If you have the Teacher version of the app, please let us know right away.) If you’re crafty, we have funds to buy materials to do crafts with kids. Contact Tracy Reilly Kelly.

LWVUS Monthly Update

Sania Irwin of Illinois is LWV’s newly elected national president. More than 1,000 delegates to the National Convention in June elected those who will steer the League's nationwide movement to empower voters.

On July 16, the League strongly denounced President Trump’s false claims about election security. CEO Celina Stewart stated: “Make no mistake: this is a deliberate, dangerous, and desperate attempt to spread doubt not only about the 2020 election and the verified integrity of our election process, but about any future election whose outcome President Trump refuses to accept."

A League coalition has asked a federal court to enforce its landmark June 22 ruling blocking the unlawful SAVE system.

Ellen Hobby, LWV chief operating officer, is honored as a 2026 Nonprofit CFO of the Year for her leadership in strengthening the League's financial sustainability and modernizing its operations.

Citizen 411: Culture, Arts, and Heritage Commission

Learn about Vancouver’s programs for the arts, as Tracy, Teresa and Rachel interview Stacey Donovan, Cultural Services manager for the City of Vancouver, and Ruby Lewis, president of the Culture, Arts, and Heritage Commission (which Stacey oversees).

You’ll hear about the new, grant-based program Inspire Vancouver and the Vancouver Arts Hub. How does the City of Vancouver coordinate neighborhood-based creative initiatives like the Arts Hub and larger regional events like the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival? Also, Ruby offers her vision of equitable local access to arts and culture.

The show airs on KXRW radio 99.9 FM at 8:15 a.m. the first Tuesday of the month, and is then released as a podcast.

Help Wanted

We are starting a new feature to match your interests with specific League needs. If you have time to take on a defined project like the two listed here, you can make a real difference for us.

Monthly meeting crew

Every second Saturday, you’ll arrive at CDM Caregiving Services at 9:15 a.m. and stay a little past noon to do setup and takedown for our monthly membership meeting. One crew member does media – retrieving our speaker from storage and helping IT guru John Latta set up audio. Two others place tables and chairs, set up hot water for beverages, prep two bathrooms for use, and put out supplies for the greeters in the lobby. After the meeting, you'll return everything to its place and dispose of the trash before leaving. Themed meetings are a chance to get creative!

Coordinator, wine bar gatherings

First came Coffee with the League, now we’re adding no-host wine gatherings at local venues each month. As coordinator, you’ll help find locations around the county and enlist other League members to host at each venue. It’s a new opportunity for members to gather and talk with interesting people.