Category: Uncategorized

Endorsements are for Washington State’s August 3 primary election. Vote as soon as you can and make sure to return your mail-in ballot no later than 8 PM on August 3! You can register online or via mail to vote until July 26 but can register in-person at any time, including on election day! For more information or to register online please visit Washington’s Secretary of State election website.

Please join Humane Voters of Washington for a Zoom fundraiser on Sunday, April 25 to re-elect Dave Upthegrove to the King County Council!

Sunday, April 25th, 2021
11:00am-11:45am
Over Zoom!
RSVP HERE, on Facebook, or email Bridget@bobmanconsulting.com

Dave’s commitment to animal welfare issues began in college where he served as President of the University of Colorado Animal Rights Group. Later, as a Washington State legislator, Dave helped lead the effort to defend citizen initiatives that banned the cruel and inhumane use of steel-jaw leghold traps as well as bear-baiting and hound hunting. His consistent support for animal issues earned him the Humane Society Legislator of the Year award. On the King County Council, Dave has been working to end the use of fetal pigs in the training program used by county paramedics. Dave and his husband have taken in feral cats and an elderly shelter dog, and currently share their home with their beloved cat, Dobby.

Bring a cup of coffee and your furry, feathery or scaly companion to introduce at this fun virtual event, and learn more about how Dave is helping animals! RSVP by making a contribution of any amount HERE or email Bridget@bobmanconsulting.com.

We hope to see you and your animal friends on April 25!

Endorsements are for Washington State’s November 3, 2020 general election. Vote as soon as you can and make sure to return your mail-in ballot no later than 8 PM on November 3! 

You can register online or via mail to vote until October 26 but can register in-person at any time, including on election day! For more information or to register online please visit.

Endorsements are for Washington State’s August 4, 2020 Primary Election. Vote as soon as you can and make sure to return your mail-in ballot no later than 8 PM on August 4, 2020! 

You can register online or via mail to vote until July 27, but can register in-person at any time, including on election day! For more information or to register online please visit.

Electing humane legislators is more important than ever for animals, but to participate you MUST register to vote! In Washington State you can register by visiting the Secretary of State’s website or here if you’re outside Washington State. Don’t wait, register now to help animals!

1. Follow Humane Voters of WA! Starting off with a shameless plug, but seriously, the political landscape in Washington shifts so rapidly that the best way to keep in touch on these issues is to make sure you follow Humane Voters of WA on Facebook and take action at the right moment.
2. Make an appointment to meet with your representatives. Keeping them informed about animal protection issues takes persistence and growing a relationship with your representatives can make a difference between a yes vote or a no vote when it comes time to vote.
3. Pledge $5 a month to Humane Voters of WA (HVW). Shifting the cost of one coffee a month to HVW means supporting legislators who do the right thing by animals!
4. Attend a town hall, candidate forum, or stop by the tent of a candidate at a community event. Making sure that legislators and candidates hear about animal issues when they are in the community reinforces that their vote against cruelty is important to their constituency. Plus, having other witnesses to hear a pledge of support never hurts either.
5. Look for  action alerts on our Facebook page – and take action!
6. Share your story. How did you get interested in animal protection? Consider writing a brief history of why you care and bring it with you to your next legislative meeting or town hall and deliver it to your legislators.
7. Attend Humane Lobby Day in January or February every year! Get to know other activists in your area, meet your legislators, network, take a tour of our beautiful Capitol building, and get inspired! Watch the HVW Facebook page for more information.
8. Say thank you – over and over again we hear the power of gratitude, and over and over its power is reaffirmed! Take any excuse to thank someone for doing something good for animals and you will make it much more likely they will continue to do good.
9. Talk about animal protection issues. We at Humane Voters of WA are widely known for our work on animals, so we talk about it wherever we go! We periodically post legislative updates on our Facebook page.
10. VOTE! 2017 and 2018 are important election years; take part in the process and vote, make your voice heard for all our furry, scaly, spikey, fuzzy, and feathered friends who can’t!

Odd numbered years mean municipal elections. Counties and cities will be holding elections for executives, mayors, commissioners, councils, supervisors, auditors, school directors, and other local offices. Each one has many elected officials with varying degrees of influence. Although there are usually contested races in the larger municipalities for offices such as County Commissioner or Mayor, many of the offices in smaller municipalities often go uncontested and sometimes without any candidates for the post! This is usually because the posts are part-time and offer no pay or a minimal stipend for attending meetings. There is no easier method by which to influence the established order than by carefully identifying the offices for which there are no challengers and becoming a candidate yourself.

Nearly all municipal offices require no special qualifications.

Becoming a municipal official offers an advantage in that an elected official automatically receives greater attention from other elected officials at all levels. Elected officials respect the fact that other elected officials have been chosen by a constituency whose viewpoints they purportedly represent. It can also be a stepping-stone to higher office.

Right now is a particularly good time to be seeking office for the first time.

Voters are restless and want change! They are willing to support someone new to government. Now is the time to evaluate if you may wish to become an elected advocate! Begin by contacting your county voter/elections administration office to determine what public offices will be on the ballot in your municipality.  Pay close attention to deadlines.

Some of the information for this article was provided courtesy of Senator Roy C. Afflerbach, Ret., Treasurer of the Humane PA PAC.