Resource Meetings Nearly Complete, Additional Grange Resources On The Horizon
By Tom Gwin
State Grange
Master/President
Thank you to the multitude of Grange members who took time out of their busy schedules to attend one of our Grange Resource and Information Training Sessions. We distributed packets of Grange resource materials and answered questions covering a multitude of subjects. We hope you will take the packets of information back to your Granges and to use them to diversify your Grange projects and activities, thus attracting new members who may not have considered becoming a Grange member in the past.
Most of our sessions were held in conjunction with Pomona Grange Meetings across the state. As many of our Pomona Granges meet at the same time, we had to schedule additional sessions for several counties. Regardless, a great deal of gratitude goes out to those Granges who hosted one of our sessions: Deer Lagoon, Long Beach, Collins, Brighton Park, Manor, Sharon, Catlin, Tualco, Orcas Island, Whelan-Ewartsville, Addy, Bee Hive, White Trail, Fredonia, and Haynie. Your hospitality was wonderful and greatly appreciated. There is one more training session in the works: March 16 at the Oroville Grange Hall in Okanogan County. We will begin that session at 11 a.m.
For those Granges not represented at one of our sessions, the packet of materials was sent to your Grange via the USPS. I encourage you to look through the packet and pick out the items that will benefit your Grange and assist you in building your membership.
The State Grange staff has scheduled a series of Zoom meetings for Grange Secretaries. The three meetings will be March 18 at 1 p.m., March 19 at 7 p.m., and March 23 at 10 a.m. The meetings will all cover items included in the Grange Secretary Handbook including quarterly reports, new member reports, family memberships, and other items. The link for the Zoom meetings can be found on the home page of the State Grange website: www.wa-grange.com. Please note, it is the same link as we used for all other State Grange Zoom meetings.
The Western Regional Grange Youth and Leaders Conference is coming up, April 25-28 at the Terrace Heights Grange Hall in Yakima. Registration is now open. Information for the conference was sent to each Grange and is also available on the State Grange website: www.wa-grange.com. We are looking for sponsors to assist in covering the costs of the conference as we host our Grange friends from across the Western US for this event. Yakima Valley Pomona Grange members are to be congratulated and thanked for their work in assisting us to host this conference.
The WA State Grange Convention will be here before we know it! The Convention Kick Off Meeting was held in January at the Tyler Grange Hall in Spokane County. State Officers and Directors met with local committee chairs to start the planning for this year’s convention. Thank you to Tyler Grange for hosting this meeting. We will have an update meeting on May 1. We will plan to tour the convention facilities at that time.
We will work to provide other opportunities to increase the resources for our members in the near future. Stay tuned to see what our next opportunity will be!
2024 Presidential Primary Process Underway
By Jesse Taylor
Legislative Lobbyist
As of the time of this writing the 2024 legislative session is coming to a close and we see Spring in the not so distant future. Members of the legislature will be turning their focus from lawmaking to campaigning as the supplemental session comes to an end on March 7th. The closing days will be “floor action” and reconciliation. As a reminder, the reconciliation process occurs when the two floors pass the same bill, but different versions of the bill. If the bill is amended in any way, it must go through the reconciliation process (conference committee) where appointed representatives from both chambers meet to come to one final bill for passage on the two floors. In a typical year, these reconciliations are done before the final votes on the operating budget.
Soon after the session is adjourned and the dust has settled, you will begin to see mailings and activity from local candidates angling for all positions from city council to county sheriff and from State Treasurer to Governor.
Why are more ballots at my house when we just had an election in February?
Some of you will recognize that on February 13th you were asked to vote in local elections mostly around school levy and bond votes. But before the counts were even final, more voter pamphlets and ballots were arriving at homes across the state.
February 23rd was the beginning of our state’s presidential primary process where ballots are due on March 12th. If your ballot looks different this year, you aren’t alone. In this year’s presidential primary election you must mark, on the outside of your ballot envelope, which party affiliation you identify with for your vote to count. The declaration of party is sent through the mail system and can be seen on the envelope with full view of your name and address as well. If you use the “Election Drop Boxes”, you limit that exposure to official county election staff. Also, your record of choice is, by law, expunged from your voting participation record 60 days after the election. Again, without marking your chosen party affiliation your vote will not count because these are Party Primary Elections conducted by the state.
As mentioned earlier, the general election will begin to go full speed as well as federal presidential primaries. All candidates for local and statewide positions must file for candidacy by May 10th which sets up the next Primary this summer. Declaring a Party in order to vote will not apply this summer. This year’s statewide top-two primary system opens to voting on July 19th and the 18-day voting window closes on August 6th. Certification of the August Primary will happen swiftly and then all eyes will turn to the November general election date of November 5th, 2024.
This year the Washington State Senate will have a total of 25 of 49 seats up for election and all of the 98 House seats are up as well. Federal Congressional offices will have all of the House of Representative up for elections and one third of the Senate. In our state, Senators serve a four-year term where the years are split up into overlapping terms. Currently our State Senate current partisan breakdown is 29 Democrats and 20 Republicans while in the House the spit is 58 Democrats to 40 Republicans.
This primary and general election will also include all of our statewide elected offices. These include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Lands Commissioner, Treasurer, Auditor and Superintendent of Public Schools. These will all be open offices with no incumbent running with the exception of Public Schools and Treasurer.
With all of that said, it is critical we all vote, how we vote determines in all those races the people who will be representing you and making those critical law making decisions that determines the future of our State and Country.
Be sure you are registered to vote by going to this page: https://olvr.votewa.gov/
By Grange News Staff
With a recent surge in new membership, McIntosh Grange in the town of Rockford, Spokane County, was able to elect a full slate of officers for 2024. A team composed of Spokane County Pomona officers Bob Shea and Gary Jackson, along with National Grange President Chris Hamp and First Dude Duane Hamp visited the Grange February 4th to assist with an obligation ceremony and Installation of Officers.
Three short days later, the Grange hosted a Community Valentines Party, attended by 45-50 people. The Valentines Party included a cookie decorating contest. Prizes were awarded for both adults and youth. The event included a complimentary dinner. About six more applications for membership went home with people in attendance.
McIntosh Grange is moving forward with a Pancake Feed and Easter Egg Hunt, scheduled for Saturday, March 23. This free family event will assist in introducing the new Grangers to the community as they again provide services to their neighbors and friends.
2024 looks to be a very busy year of growth and activity for McIntosh Grange and both the old and new members. The excitement just keeps building as the Grange moves forward in the Town of Rockford!
By Grange News Staff
Granges are encouraged to toot their own horn and the horns of other Granges as we celebrate Grange Month in April. The State Grange Membership Department is having a Grange Month Display Contest to assist in promoting the Grange and portraying the positive influences the Grange has made on our state and nation.
For over 130 years the Washington State Grange has worked to make our state a better place for our citizens. We are active in 215 communities throughout the state, providing a wide range of services and offering multiple activities and programs. A public display on our Grange programs will assist in informing the citizens of our state of our programs and achievements.
Grange Month is celebrated in April. We ask that each Grange create a public display to promote the Grange and to focus on the positive impacts the Grange has made in our state.
General Guidelines:
• Each Grange will arrange for their own display area in a prominent public location in their community. The display area may be a window, table, showcase, or whatever is available for use in your community.
• Each Grange will design a display featuring their projects and activities, with a focus on the positive impacts they have had on the community or state.
• The display should follow the theme “Grange Strong”.
• A wide variety of Grange programs should be represented (i.e. lecturer programs, community service, youth activities, junior programs, family living, legislative etc.)
• The display must be in place for a minimum of seven days during the month of April.
• Each display must include a Grange logo and contact information for the local Grange.
Contest Information:
• Each Grange is encouraged to take a 3-5 pictures of their display (including one of the complete display).
• Place the pictures in a folder and include a 300-word (maximum) essay describing the display and what you tried to portray.
• Include your Grange name and contact information in the folder.
• Send the folder to the State Grange Office no later than May 1.
• Pictures of the displays will be used for promotion in The Grange News. In addition, pictures will be displayed at the State Grange Convention.
• Judging will be completed by a committee and will be based on: originality, creativity, design, and overall impact.
• Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three displays: $100, $50, and $25.
All entries should be placed in a folder and sent by May 1 to the Washington State Grange, PO Box 1186, Olympia WA 98507. All entries will be available for pick up at the State Grange Convention.