“By the People”

Get Involved

Echoing the words of the United States Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, ended his now famous address “…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” The “by the people” clause we ignore at our peril. “By the people” is at the heart of our democratic values—values we must express in civic engagement—or we risk losing what made the United States stand out favorably among the monarchic governments of the time of our founding. 

Civic engagement requires that we bestir ourselves to turn away from our televisions, smart phones and computers and actually connect with other people, learn the details of at least some small part of how we rule ourselves, and participate in that endeavor. An important way of doing that is to run for and serve at least in some small corner of what makes our joint human endeavor actually function—be that as member of a fire, school, water, or cemetery district board or a precinct committee officer—or as a city council person. Many of these positions really are non-partisan (in more than name)—and they are at the heart of what makes our democracy work. 

Next Thursday, April 27, the Spokane County Democratic Party is offering a chance to learn about ways to become civically engaged by running for elective office this year (or in later years). Bring is your civic commitment and your Spokane County home address. Volunteers will be ready to provide you with your precinct number, all of the overlapping districts with offices in which you could serve, an idea of what such service would entail, and the tools necessary to run for the position.

This is an opportunity to better learn the geography of the overlapping governmental districts in which we live, districts governing schools. libraries, water, and even cemeteries. This is a district geography so complex as to make one wonder if someone were working to make it intentionally obscure.

Are you interested in running for office in Spokane County in 2023?

Spokane County has 127 open positions including School Boards, Commissioners and City Council Positions. Click here for a list of the scheduled races. [Don’t be daunted by this list—it is imposing.]

If you are interested, and would like more information on this, please attend our:

Candidate Information Forum

April 27, 2023 @ 6:00 PM (Zoom Call or in-person at Hamilton Studios)

We are hosting a candidate workshop to discuss filing for office in Spokane County, submitting your local voters’ pamphlet information, voter lists and data management, campaign sign regulations, and basic public disclosure information from the Public Disclosure Commission.

If you can attend in person, join us at Hamilton Studios (1427 W Dean Ave, Spokane, WA) for some pizza, and socializing before the event.

Doors open at 5:30PM.

To register for this session, email your name tooperations@spokanedemocrats.org and or call 509-324-8525.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Beth Wilder

Co-Director of Operations 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry