Greetings friends,

I hope that you all had a great summer full of fun, relaxation, and reflection and are beginning to settle into the rhythms of fall. As the weather shifts many of us are also shifting our focus to voter outreach. This season our state faces many impactful choices on the ballot, from local offices and initiatives to national offices, and four deceptive statewide initiatives. As you may know, FAN is encouraging our network to vote no on all four initiatives. If passed they would gut our state’s budget of funding for childcare and education, climate and clean energy investments, and long-term care. Data shows that once voters know the true cost of the initiatives, they are more likely to vote no. You can help by having conversations with your friends, family, and neighbors about why you’re voting no. We’ve developed this 1-pager with information on all four initiatives and we invite you to use some of these talking points in your conversations with friends, family, and colleagues.

We are fortunate to have many organizations and individuals in our area working together to help educate and register voters in this election. Please see below for a round-up of some local candidate forums, get out the vote opportunities and FAN updates over the next few months. And of course, please take a moment to check that your registration is up to date or register to vote at votewa.gov.

In solidarity and hope, 

Brianna Dilts, FAN Eastern WA Organizer

Tuesday, October 1, 12:00-1:00pm, 100% Voting Faith Communities Strategy Meeting, online. If you've been a part of our 100% Voting Faith Communities (VFC) campaign or if you're looking to learn more about it, please join us! We'll hear updates from participating faith communities and strategize ways to boost voter turnout ahead of the election. RSVP for the link here.

Wednesday, October 2, 6:00pm, 2024 Spokane Candidates Climate Change Forum at The Globe Room, Gonzaga University and livestreamed. The Climate Forum has been hosted annually since 2019 and is a non-partisan space where candidates for local office can share with local voters and citizens what they would or would not do or support if elected to office. This event is hosted by Gonzaga’s Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment.

Tuesday, October 15, 6:00-8:00pm, NAACP Spokane Candidate Forum and Townhall at the Spokane Central Library, 906 W Main Ave. The Spokane Branch of the NAACP is hosting a candidate forum with Spokane County Commission Candidates Al French and Molly Marshall and a Townhall with 5th Congressional District candidate, Carmela Conroy. The event will be moderated by Krem 2 News Anchor, Channing Curtis, and streamed live on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio, Medical Lake-Spokane 88.1 & 92.3 FM and KYRS.org.

Saturday, October 19, 12:00-9:00pm, Better World Better Vote (21+), at The Chameleon, 1801 W Sunset Blvd. Spokane's Largest Civic Engagement Party by Reimagine Spokane and Asians for Collective Liberation in Spokane! This event is designed to encourage voter turnout, especially among young and BIPOC voters, and to promote progressive change in our community. Enjoy live music, delicious food, and engaging activities while learning about the importance of voting and how your voice can make a difference. Connect with like-minded individuals and discover how you can get involved in civic engagement efforts. This is a 21 and up event.

Wednesday, October 23, 5:00-7:00pm, Potluck at the Polls with FAN at Salem Lutheran Church, 1428 W Broadway Ave. Join us in community as we celebrate and participate in our shared democracy and learn together. We hope you join us for a short social before we begin our programming with a conversation and Q&A on elections and voting with Spokane County Auditor, Vicky Dalton, and end the evening with a short walk to the ballot box. RSVP and more information here and flyer below.

• The No on 2117 campaign is holding weekly weekends of action every week until election day. You can join an in-person lit drop or a virtual phone bank.
• The No on 2124 and No on 2109 campaigns are also holding weekly phonebanks join here: I-214 or I-2109

Locally we have joined together with Greater Spokane Action and many other Spokane area organizations to counter these initiatives locally. Please save the date for two opportunities to talk to voters about the local impacts of these initiatives.

• Canvass on October 26 from 10am-2pm, Location TBD. 
• Text Bank on October 30 from 6-7:30pm at the Saranac Commons.

More details to come!

Understanding the Impacts of the United States Indian Boarding Schools

Friday, October 11, 12-2 pm

Zoom panel presentation. 

• Jewell James, Lummi Nation, Master Carver, Activist, Elder and boarding school survivor
• Theresa Sheldon, Tulalip Tribes, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and Tulalip Tribal Council
• Edward Washines, Yakama Nation, WA State Truth & Reconciliation Advisory Committee (WA Attorney General’s Office)
  
  Register here: https://forms.gle/T1MWMRhn9eYx2M7o9 

Sponsored by the Interfaith Network with Indigenous Communities

FAN Annual Dinner

Our biggest fundraiser of the year, the FAN Annual Dinner, will be the evening of Sunday, November 17. Once again, we will be holding events both in Spokane and Renton which will also be livestreamed. We hope you can join us in-person at the Ruby River Hotel or online, your support helps sustain our work!

Keep FAN's advocacy strong! Donate today.

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