Nancy Churchill says ‘voting decides who runs our communities’
Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric
This election isn’t just about casting ballots. It’s about choice and consequence. Voting decides who runs our communities. Signing initiatives lets citizens reclaim lawmaking power from Olympia. Both are vital acts of participation in a state that has forgotten who it works for.
Ballots are arriving across Washington, and the clock is ticking. As Washington State Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh warned, it’s important to “turn in your ballots sooner rather than later.” Waiting until Election Day is how we lose — by letting apathy and mail delays silence our voice. This year’s election isn’t about abstract policy debates in Olympia. It’s about who controls the levers of power in your own backyard.
Voting this year is important because this election will determine who controls school boards, city councils, hospital boards, fire departments, and other important local offices. These races might seem small, but they decide the future of your community: who keeps the hospital running, who governs your children’s classrooms, and who manages local emergency services.
Why voting now matters
Washington’s local elections are where real power is quietly consolidated. Progressives understand this, which is why they dominate low-turnout races year after year. While conservatives stay home, the left captures school boards, city councils, and public agencies — then uses that control to push policies the public never approved.
Every local race matters. School boards decide what children learn and how tax dollars are spent. City councils determine whether communities support small business or strangle it. Hospital and fire district boards affect public health, safety, and medical freedom. These are the foundations of self-government, and they’re all on the ballot this fall.
Two special Senate elections in the Puget Sound region could begin restoring balance in Olympia. Victories for Chad Magendanz and Michelle Caldier would send a message that one-party rule isn’t permanent. Don’t sit this one out. If these races are NOT on your ballot, consider making a last-minute donation to both campaigns.
Drop your ballot off early at your county auditor’s office or courthouse. Avoid mailing it — postal delays have cost votes before. Ballot drop boxes are convenient but not always secure. Deliver it yourself and make sure it counts. Every early ballot is a stand against apathy and against the political machine that thrives on it.
The smart play on the ballot — SJR 8201
While local races deserve attention, one statewide measure, Senate Joint Resolution 8201, also deserves your vote. It’s tied to the deeply flawed WA Cares Fund, but don’t confuse that with what this measure actually does.
As columnist Elizabeth New (Hovde) explains, “Senate Joint Resolution 8201 is related to the misguided WA Cares Fund, but it has nothing to do with whether or not you like WA Cares. It’s a question asking voters whether the state should be allowed to invest WA Cares dollars in more ways than it can now, with hopes of stronger fund growth.”
That distinction matters. WA Cares itself is a bad idea, a mandatory payroll tax for a long-term care plan most workers will never use. But since those taxes are already being collected, voters face a practical question: Should the fund sit in low-yield government bonds that lose value to inflation, or should it be invested more wisely to protect the people forced to pay into it?
This isn’t about trusting Olympia; it’s about defending workers from government mismanagement. Leaving billions in idle accounts guarantees failure. Allowing professional fund managers to diversify investments gives taxpayers a chance to preserve, and even grow, their money.
SJR 8201 doesn’t fix WA Cares, but it helps prevent it from becoming a fiscal disaster. Vote APPROVED on SJR 8201 because taxpayers deserve their money to work for them.
The people’s countermove: Two new Let’s Go Washington initiatives
When politicians stop listening, the people have one last tool: the initiative process. Let’s Go Washington (LGW) has launched two new initiatives that strike directly at the arrogance of Olympia’s ruling class.
IL26-001: Strengthen Communication Between Parents and Schools
This initiative restores the Parents’ Bill of Rights that the legislature weakened after Initiative 2081. It guarantees parents the right to review classroom materials, see student records, and receive notice before schools make sensitive decisions about their children. It repeals laws that shield districts from accountability and allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, to punish schools that disobey his ideological directives.
Parents, not bureaucrats, deserve the final say in their children’s education.
IL26-638: Protect Fairness in Girls’ Sports
Athletes Ahnaleigh Wilson and Frances Staudt spoke for 110,000 Washington girls when they said, “Biological men are competing in girls’ sports… We’re too young to vote, but old enough to use our voice.”
IL26-638 upholds Title IX by ensuring that female sports remain female. It prohibits biological males from competing in girls’ divisions while affirming that all students can participate according to fair, existing eligibility standards. No one is “banned” from sports — this simply restores the level playing field that generations of women fought for.
Protecting fairness isn’t exclusionary. It’s justice.
The backlash — when Democracy becomes dangerous
Even this basic act of civic participation — collecting signatures — has come under attack. According to Simone Carter’s report, LGW signature gatherers have faced harassment and threats, leading to multiple arrests. LGW Founder Brian Heywood put it plainly: “Why would you need security at an event where you’re trying to get a law passed?”
That question should haunt every voter. When petitioners need bodyguards, it’s not the citizens who are dangerous, it’s the political culture that fears their voices.
If you’re wanting to sign these initiatives, contact your local county Republican party to find the next signature-gathering event near you.
Two paths to power
Washington’s system gives you two ways to fight back. Voting chooses the leaders who will govern your community. Signing initiatives creates the laws that leaders refuse to pass.
So here’s your mission:
- Vote early! Drop your ballot at your county auditor’s office or courthouse today.
- Vote APPROVED on SJR 8201 and make sure WA Cares funds are invested wisely.
- Find and sign both of the Let’s Go Washington initiatives to restore parental rights and protect fairness in girls’ sports.
Real change doesn’t come from Olympia. Real change comes from citizens who pay attention, refuse to sit out elections, sign initiatives, and do their part to remind the ruling class that the people still rule.
Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the chair of the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on Substack, X, and Rumble
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