Help students understand how Washington State’s executive branch operates through elected statewide officials and their real-world responsibilities. This series explores the roles of the State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Public Lands, Insurance Commissioner, and State Auditor, highlighting how each office impacts daily life in Washington. Students will examine key issues such as education funding, land and resource management, financial oversight, insurance regulation, transparency, and accountability in government. The series builds civic understanding of how elected executive officials serve the public and balance competing needs across the state.
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Understand how laws are made in Washington State through clear, engaging examples. This video series follows the full legislative process—from bill introduction and committee hearings to debate and final votes—while explaining key roles, procedures, and real-world impacts. Students will learn how ideas become law, how citizens can participate, and how state government decisions shape their communities. Ideal for building foundational civics knowledge and connecting classroom concepts to what’s happening in Olympia today.
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Overview: I went to bed in one district, and woke up in another! Help your students understand how legislative districts work in WA. 2024 is an election year! Do you know who will be on your ballot? Every 10 years, our legislative and congressional district lines are redrawn and thus your district may have changed since the last presidential election. However, due to a legal challenge to the redistricting done after the 2020 census, 13 legislative districts changed as of the first week in April 2024. Don’t be surprised when your primary ballot comes in July! Check this map below to see if you are one of the 300,000 people who have new legislators representing them! Essential Questions:
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At the Secretary of State’s office, the first week of May is also known as FILING WEEK! Candidates who want to run for office fill out their candidate declaration forms and pay their filing fee, officially making them eligible to be on the ballot. While this process is generally procedural and ceremonial in nature, there are laws and formalities followed that ensure that the process is equitable and fair for both the candidate and the voter. Essential Question:
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Washington State is one of the only states in the nation that has a Top Two Primary for all of its Statewide Elected positions, Congressional positions, and Legislative positions. Held in the August preceding a November election, the top two winners of the primary regardless of political party move on to the general election. Washington State has conducted this type of primary for almost 20 years. Essential Questions:
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Every year, Washington residents receive a Voters’ Pamphlet in their mailbox prior to the election. Along with the Video Voters Guide produced by TVW, the Voters’ Pamphlet is a powerful tool for Washingtonians, allowing them to hear from the candidates in their own words, regardless of how much media coverage they receive. The Secretary of State’s office does not fact check any candidate statement. In this lesson, students will hear from the Secretary of State and the Lieutenant Governor about the importance of this election information. Essential Questions:
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While the presidential election will dominate the media coverage, mainstream and social, and conversations in the classroom, who wins the Statewide Elections will directly affect your day to day life. This video will provide background information about the state of Washington races post the August Primary Election and pre the November Election. Essential Questions:
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While the presidential election will dominate the media coverage, mainstream and social, and conversations in the classroom, who wins the Statewide Elections will directly affect your day to day life. This video will provide background information about the state of Washington races post the August Primary Election and pre the November Election. Essential Questions:
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Debates between candidates have become an integral part of the election cycle. While millions of people tune in for the Presidential debates, the same cannot be said for the Statewide races, despite the fact that these debates are occurring and are televised or streamed so the electorate can be more informed. Viewers will learn about State Debates, the purpose of debates, what the electorate can learn from a debate, and how the media prepares to moderate a debate. Essential Questions:
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A hallmark of the Progressive Era, the initiative and referendum processes were amended into Washington’s State Constitution in 1912. The initiative process allows Washingtonians to directly propose new legislation that will go on the ballot for voters to support or reject, while the referendum process allows voters to directly reject laws already enacted by the legislature. University of Washington Law scholar, Professor Hugh Spitzer, describes the benefits and potential pitfalls of the initiative process. Essential Questions:
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