1. League of Women Voters of Clark County Building Resilient Communities
1/12/18
January 28, 2019
LWV of Clark County CIVICS IS Fundamental Project
Civics 101
Building Resilient Communities
Thank you for coming!
In this series we hope to begin ongoing conversations about creating and increasing civic engagement in our community.
Tonight’s session focuses on four topics:
What is civics/what does it mean to be a good citizen/neighbor?
Overview of our governmental structures.
Importance of neuroscience and understanding implicit bias
Ellie Hutton
LWVCC Secretary
Civics is Fundamental

2. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Civics is Fundamental

3. Civic Engagement Stories Help Build Community
League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Civic Engagement Stories Help Build Community
Did your family discuss politics and vote?
What community or civic activities did you do with your family, school, church, team… when you were growing up?
Did you follow this example as an adult or rebel?
Civics is Fundamental

4. Participate in the Life of Your Community
League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Participate in the Life of Your Community
All of these activities give us practice in working together to achieve a common goal.
Volunteering
Playing team sports
Singing in a choir
Mentoring a friend, neighbor, coworker, stranger
Helping people in need
Smiling while standing on line
Running for office
Attending community events
Civics is Fundamental

5. Get to Know Your Neighbors
League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Get to Know Your Neighbors
Because building safe, healthy communities where people look after each other begins at home—YOUR home and your neighbors’ homes.
About Clark County Neighborhood Associations
City of Vancouver Office of Neighborhoods
City of Camas Neighborhoods
Social media—Nextdoor
Emergency Preparedness Guide
Civics is Fundamental

6. Don’t Feel You Have to Know Everything!
League of Women Voters of Clark County
1/12/18
Don’t Feel You Have to Know Everything!
Make sure you understand the basic ideas and principles of democracy. You can always look up the details!
The State We’re In: Washington
Crash Course: Government & Politics
USCIS Citizenship Resource Center
Washington Secretary of State Office
Civics Education was not required to be included before 2009.
In 2018, new Civics bill requires one semester of Civics to graduate from high school.
And it pays for professional development for teachers.
The “gap” in Civics knowledge has led to many people not understanding why civic engagement is critical.
I’m going to cover the highlights of our governments’ structures today AND there will not be a test.
The first thing I learned when I joined League was about the Centennial Accord between the State of Washington & the 29 federally recognized tribes.
Civics is Fundamental

7. Think About the Common Good & Individual Liberty
League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Think About the Common Good & Individual Liberty
Finding the right balance between what’s good for each of us and what’s good for all of us.
Rule of Law
Separation of Powers
Bill of Rights
Federalism
Majority Rule and Minority Rights
Founders combined idealism…
All men are created equal
Right to life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness
A cornerstone of American government is the idea of having a “government of laws rather than a government of men.” The laws are intended to apply to everyone equally and all the government’s power is limited to what the law says it can do.
With a pragmatic view of human frailty…
Three branches of government—share power
Rights not enumerated left to the states—local control
Checks & balances—guards against tyrants
The importance of democratic institutions—art of the possible
And they enshrined their century’s biases while leaving future leaders ways to change the constitution over time
Democracy depends on our respect for the institution
We must understand and participate for it to work
Balance that the ultimate power is vested in the people (50%+1 = election) with the rule of law. This rule safeguards minority rights by stating that all citizens have the same rights and the Courts can strike down laws it they violate those rights.
Civics is Fundamental

9. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Government and its officials are subordinate to the law.
Citizens are actively engaged in making the laws that govern them by consent or direct involvement
The laws are fairly and equally applied to everyone to protect individual freedom
Citizens agree among themselves to obey the laws for the protection of all
An independent judiciary provides for equitable and impartial access to justice
Civics is Fundamental

10. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Government and its officials are subordinate to the law.
Citizens are actively engaged in making the laws that govern them by consent or direct involvement
The laws are fairly and equally applied to everyone to protect individual freedom
Citizens agree among themselves to obey the laws for the protection of all
An independent judiciary provides for equitable and impartial access to justice
Civics is Fundamental

11. Dual vs. Cooperative Federalism
League of Women Voters of Clark County
1/12/18
Dual vs. Cooperative Federalism
Power divided between the national (federal government) and the states.
From 1789 till the mid 1937, we operated under primarily dual federalism where
Federal government jurisdiction over internal projects like roads that cross state lines, mail, treaties, tariffs, and war, currency, patents, public lands,
State governments control property laws, marriage laws, inheritance laws, commercial laws, insurance, family laws, public health, criminal, land use—mineral & water rights, licenses (for everything), insurance, banking, and elections
After the new deal legislation in 1937, we moved to a new, more complex system called cooperative federalism where the federal government—using a variety of mechanisms—block grants, mandates, funded and unfunded, and regulations. Examples of these are EPA, OSHA, Civil Rights, Disability Rights, infrastructure projects
Civics is Fundamental

12. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
"The State We're In: Washington" by LWVWA Education Fund is licensed under  CC BY-NC 4.0; art by MWillowsIllustration
Civics is Fundamental

13. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
"The State We're In: Washington" by LWVWA Education Fund is licensed under  CC BY-NC 4.0; art by MWillowsIllustration
Civics is Fundamental

14. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
"The State We're In: Washington" by LWVWA Education Fund is licensed under  CC BY-NC 4.0; art by MWillowsIllustration
Civics is Fundamental

15. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Learn Science
In the 21st century, scientific discoveries will change our world in ways we can’t yet understand. To make sure these changes benefit all of us, we will need citizens who understand science and can govern the way we use it.
Neuroscience, experimental psychology, sports medicine, and epigenetics offer insights into why and how we make choices.
Visit Outsmarting Human Minds, “The Universe Inside”
Civics is Fundamental

16. League of Women Voters of Clark County
1/12/18
Science Offers Clues
Image by Rosa Sheng, AIA. Found in “Confronting Implicit Bias: A Remedy for the Public Health of Racism?” by Temi Omilabu, Medium, 10/16/17.
Civics is Fundamental

17. What Makes Voting Difficult?
League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
What Makes Voting Difficult?
“A leader is anyone willing to help, anyone who sees something that needs to change and takes the first steps to influence that situation.”
--Meg Wheatley
Civics is Fundamental

18. How do you view your personal politics?
League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
How do you view your personal politics?
What issues are important to you?
What qualities do you look for in a candidate?
Visit The Political Compass to see where you fit in their economic/social two-axis chart
Consider the media sources you use / why you do seek them out?
Civics is Fundamental

19. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
"The State We're In: Washington" by LWVWA Education Fund is licensed under  CC BY-NC 4.0; art by Leslie Hoge
Civics is Fundamental

20. League of Women Voters of Clark County
September 2018
Civics is Fundamental