“Democracy doesn’t defend itself. We defend it.”
Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-LD29, Tacoma)
On a chilly January Friday afternoon as constitutional storm clouds seem to be gathering in Minnesota and elsewhere around the country, 11 people from Seattle squeeze into the Olympia office of state Rep. Nicole Macri to talk about democracy.
The meeting had been scheduled as part of Democracy Lobby Day, which drew more than 150 people from 36 of the state’s 49 legislative districts to talk to politicians like Macri, urging them to vote for laws that make elections fairer and more accessible.
Oliver, a young person in a blue skirt and fawn mock turtleneck speaks first. “As a transgender person, protecting the rights of registered voters is really important to me,” Oliver says. “I’m originally from Ohio. When I showed up to vote in Ohio, I was turned away at age 18 because my ID didn’t match my presentation. So, I fixed my ID, but at the next election, I found that I’d been purged from the voter rolls. I moved to Washington where I could be represented, and that’s why these proposed bills are so important to me.”
Democracy Lobby Day advocates push for proposed laws that would prohibit mass voter challenges, would require preclearance of local election changes, provide ballot access in jails, and make it possible for Washington communities to opt in to ranked choice voting (RCV), in which voters can list candidates in their order preference.
Paul Bryant, another member of the LD43 group, asks Macri what she thinks is behind some of the resistance to RCV. A robust discussion ensues, touching on in-depth caucus conversations and the nervousness of some lawmakers about competing against many candidates if RCV became widespread. Others ask her to support the bill that would require preclearance of election changes.
As the allotted time is up, Rep. Macri stands to pose for a photo with the group. “Thanks so much for coming,” she says. “Moving bills in this space is so important because of the federal atmosphere.”
An hour or so later, the LD43 group gathers with dozens of others attending Democracy Lobby Day on the steps of the Capitol. They chant cheers about the rights of jailed voters, about providing more choices on ballots, against batch ballot challenges and discriminatory voting laws.
Lt. Gov. Denny Heck gets the crowd fired up with a stem-winder of a speech, thanking people for coming, saying that it’s important to stand up for democracy, that a healthy democracy needs a healthy middle class and that we have to be in this fight for the long haul.
State Sen. Mike Chapman (D-LD24, Port Angeles) follows, saying, “We’re in the fight of our lives to save our democracy…”
From the steps where all the lobbyists have gathered, someone calls, “Are you voting for the Voter Power Pack?” referring to the four bills they’ve been emphasizing all day, in more than 80 separate meetings with lawmakers.
“Yes, I am!” Sen. Chapman responds, then yielding the podium to Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-LD29, Tacoma).
Rep. Mena gets the crowd cheering. “Remember,” she calls. “Democracy doesn’t defend itself. We defend it.”
Indeed.
