Together, We’re Reaching New Voters

What Is In This Newsletter?

• Together, We’re Reaching New Voters

• Why Washington’s Fourth District May Hold the Line for American Democracy

• Progressive Strategies: Data

• The Hatch Act Is Dead — And So Is Accountability in Washington DC

Together, We’re Reaching New Voters

This October, Rural Americans United is mailing 14,152 pro-democracy postcards to newly registered voters across Washington State ahead of the election.

Why newly registered voters

Because this constituency is made up primarily of young people and members of the Latinx community, two groups that have been historically underrepresented in the political process. Our data shows two troubling trends:

• These voters are less likely to cast ballots, and

• They are increasingly being targeted by far-right messaging.

Our goal is simple: to make sure the first political message these new voters receive is one that celebrates participation, inclusion, and democracy. By the end of 2025, we will have mailed nearly 50,000 pro-democracy messages across the state. But we are not stopping there. Our next phase includes expanding into social media, radio, and billboards to reach even more rural voters and strengthen civic engagement.

You make this possible

Your continued support allows us to amplify rural voices, empower new voters, and protect democracy in communities that are too often overlooked.

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Do nothing Dan and the MAGA dream

If you are one of the many people who believe Washington State’s Congressional District 4 is not a fight worth taking seriously, as it has not been for the last thirty years, you are dangerously mistaken. Unlike many other states, we have a real chance to make a stand and a meaningful difference. “47” loudly and proudly declared during his 2024 presidential bid that if people voted for him, they would never have to vote again. That was not a warning shot across the bow; it was the opening salvo of a MAGA revolution. Steve Bannon recently echoed this in an interview with The Economist, stating that “47 will be president in 2028 because of divine providence. ”Washington State remains a stronghold of democratic values and may be one of the few states left where fair and just elections will continue to be held. So far, “47” has not called in the Idaho National Guard to occupy Spokane or Seattle as he has attempted to do in other Democratic cities such as Memphis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and Washington, D.C. Frighteningly, “47,” despite his complete disconnect from reality, has proven disturbingly effective at turning his fantasies into our, very real, nightmares. In addition to his unthinkable efforts to deploy the National Guard into American cities, there have been even more ominous moves within his vanguard. These dangerous and outrageous actions include, but are not limited to, requesting a standing militia of 500 “quick reaction troops” per state, ready to be deployed to American cities at a moment’s notice (The Hill). CBS News also reported that “47,” referring to the Insurrection Act, claimed he could send the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines into American cities and that the courts would not stop him. His use of the Insurrection Act is a biting irony. “47” has demanded that Republican-held states gerrymander their congressional maps to favor Republicans, and he has instructed the DOJ to deploy election observers as if we were a banana republic. These actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and, if not entirely illegal, certainly trample on the line of legality. At the congressional level, Washington State has consistently punched above its weight. With Representative Dr. Kim Schrier successfully holding Congressional District 8 and Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez flipping Congressional District 3, we have already seen that it can be done. We now need a victory in Congressional District 4, and it can be won, but it requires serious people doing serious work to make it happen. In the last election cycle, we had two capable candidates who both failed to launch. This cycle, we again have a strong candidate, but their campaign has yet to show clear momentum. I have personally reached out to encourage people to do what is necessary, but to date, I have heard only faint rumblings. Taking back at least one chamber of Congress is not a loss we can afford. Our country and our way of life hang in the balance, and the scales are tipping in the wrong direction. Now is not the time to look off into the distance at races far away; it is time to focus on what is attainable here and now. We can flip Congressional District 4. We can.

The data and narrative below is provided by Progressive Strategies Northwest Voter Turnout As the saying goes, "all politics are local." And in years where most politics are local -- odd-numbered years, in Washington State -- "local effects" matter a lot. Rural, working-class counties number among Washington's lowest- and highest- turnout counties. Southeastern Washington's diminutive Columbia (56.7% historic turnout, county seat Dayton) and Garfield (52.8%, Pomeroy) are near the top of the list; yet, demographically similar counties are also near the bottom, including Skamania (34.0%, Stevenson) and Pend Oreille (34.3%, Newport). What explains the difference? Rigorous demographic analysis suggests: County and city-level elections in Garfield and Columbia seem to excite voters in a way they don't in Skamania and Pend Oreille.

Voter turnout by Washington State county

Still, demographics do matter. Ballot returns among Hispanic voters lag across elections, especially in odd years. That's a common finding across the United States -- and a major concern for voter turnout advocates. It's also a big factor driving the rankings of Yakima (27.9%) and Franklin (29.3%) counties -- although Washington's most Latino county, Adams County (35.0%), is only slightly below state average. This year -- local matters! Bluest Cities Rural Washington has a reputation as "deep red", but the reality is more complex. Outside of the Puget Sound metro core, Washington State tilts red, but by a margin of only about 55-45%. It also contains many deep-blue islands, which provide important insights into rural voting patterns. In past years, this list would have been dominated by Hispanic and Native American communities. The #1 entry, technically more Democratic than Seattle, remains the Colville Reservation's Nespelem (Harris 46, Trump 2, Other 1). As Democrats have sustained losses among Hispanic voters, formerly top-ranking towns have fallen down the list, including Mabton (73.7%), Wapato (68.5%), Mattawa (68.3%), and Toppenish (66.4%).

Washington State cities most votes for Harris 2024

The Hatch Act Is Dead — And So Is Accountability in Washington DC A pamphlet published by the Department of Justice in January 2024 defines the Hatch Act as: “The Hatch Act generally prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty, in a federal facility, or using federal property. Political activity is defined as any activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group.” It is easy to see why this law matters. It is meant to protect the integrity of government service from political manipulation. But under an administration that denies the rule of law and fills key positions with loyalists rather than qualified public servants, this safeguard has been trampled. Visit almost any federal website today and you will find a banner blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. Earlier in the week, the message even claimed the shutdown was due to Democrats pursuing healthcare for illegal immigrants and “gender mutilation.” That line has since been softened to simply call it a “Democrat led shutdown,” but the damage is done. The propaganda is blatant, and while it would be laughable in its absurdity, it is instead terrifying because so many Americans believe it. Why is this allowed to continue? The answer lies in Project 2025. One of its primary objectives was to replace influential government officials with unwavering loyalists. The Hatch Act is enforced by the Office of Special Counsel, which at the time of 47’s inauguration was led by Hampton Dellinger, a Biden nominee confirmed by the Senate. Dellinger was immediately targeted and fired. A lawsuit followed, as the president cannot legally dismiss the head of the Office of Special Counsel or many other officials without cause. But the Supreme Court, corrupted and compliant, sided with 47, ruling that such protections limited his executive power. Soon after, the same Court granted 47 nearly unlimited authority and immunity, declaring that he, and he alone, was above the law. And where are the Democrats? As usual, standing on the sidelines, issuing press releases with trembling lips and “stinging rebuttals.” The only formal response I found was from Senator Raskin, who said the actions “may be a breach of the Hatch Act.” May be? That is like saying birthright citizenship is “open for debate.” The violation is clear and undeniable. Since Dellinger’s unlawful dismissal, there has been a sad procession of acting heads at the Office of Special Counsel because the only nominee put forward by 47, Paul Ingrassia, is so disreputable that even Republicans refuse to confirm him. This is more than just another political scandal. It exposes a deep failure in how we enforce laws, especially against those who make or interpret them. Violations of the law bring no consequences, only press statements and public scolding. Our “independent” agencies and counsels are proving to be anything but independent. As 47 replaces oversight with obedience, he continues to fire at will and appoint without restriction. Acting heads do not require Senate approval, and that suits him perfectly. It allows him to install whoever he wants, without resistance or accountability. Why would he ever seek approval when he already behaves as if he needs none? The death of the Hatch Act symbolizes something larger: the decay of accountability itself. Once a guardrail against corruption, it now stands as a hollow reminder of what used to restrain power. Unless Congress reclaims its authority and the people demand the restoration of independent oversight, this will not stop. The erosion of law is not gradual anymore; it is deliberate and accelerating. If America cannot uphold its own laws against those who govern, then the idea of a government by the people is already gone.