Resources

Primary Election Resources

Videos &Voting

Video for Prosecutor
We recorded our July 13th Q&A with the four candidates in the primary. Watch the video – HERE

42nd Legislative District State Senate
We recorded the Q&A with the two Democratic candidates and one independent in the primary.

  • Watch the Shepard & Collins video – HERE
  • Watch Ryan Bowman’s video – HERE

What’s On the Ballot?

This is a link to the primary candidate list; three pages listing all races and candidates that Whatcom residents can vote on in the primary. There are 209 candidates running for 157 positions. Inform yourself.

  • Congressional District 2
  • Legislative Districts 40 and 42
  • State of Washington Supreme Court
  • Whatcom County
  • Port of Bellingham District 4 and 5
  • Fire Protection District 1
  • Glacier Fire and Rescue
  • Fire Protection District 21
  • Hospital District 304
  • The following precincts have a Democratic Precinct Committee Officer contest: 135, 137, 201, 207, 222, 224, 225, 229, 241, 243✯✯✯

Endorsements and Recommendations

Although Indivisible Bellingham currently does not have the resources to interview and vet candidates, many pro-democracy organizations do and we like to highlight them so that you can feel more confident in voting all the way down the ballot to maintain the “blue wall.” Since we know that not everyone can do the research on candidates, we offer these links as a public service.

This is a link to all races that Whatcom residents can vote on in the primary.

  • Blue Voter Guide helps you make informed, pro-democracy, and pro-working-family choices. input your address and the BVG shows you the candidates and propositions on your ballot with endorsements from trusted, forward-looking organizations.
  • The Whatcom/Bellingham chapter of League of Women Voters has short interviews with the candidates on your ballot, HERE.
  • The Riveters Collective (Bellingham) is a strong advocate for restorative justice and police accountability. They’ve only endorsed one candidate in the Whatcom Prosecutor primary – Jesse Corkern. Read their endorsement HERE.
  • Whatcom Democrats list endorsements for 40th & 42nd LD and Port Commissioners HERE.
  • Indivisible Whidbey did extensive interviews with candidates. Read their endorsements (relevant to us in Whatcom County) for U.S. Representative WA-02 and State Supreme Court HERE.

NOTE: Since our “Ballot. Research. Vote!” email blast on Wednesday, a concerned group of Indivisible Bellingham members wrote to lend more context to Indivisible Whidbey’s endorsement of Rep. Larsen. In part, they wrote:

“On May 21, 2026, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted down Amendment 221, a bipartisan measure from Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Jesús García (D-IL) that would have effectively ended police use of automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems, like those made by Flock Safety, nationwide, by tying the practice to states’ federal highway funding. Rep. Larsen, as a member of committee leadership, voted against the amendment, and it died without any substantive floor debate. Demand Progress and a coalition of more than 40 civil society organizations had urged the committee to support the amendment.

”This isn’t an abstract issue for us. As many of you know… we have been working to protect Whatcom County’s immigrant community, and we are seeing a real increase in local arrests — some of which are tied directly to Flock cameras installed at Home Depot and Lowe’s locations here. We’re working to get these cameras removed, but progress is slow, and real harm is happening in the meantime.

”I reached out to Indivisible Whidbey directly to share these concerns. They explained that their endorsement process is member-driven: their own endorsement committee did not recommend endorsing Rep. Larsen, but the membership voted to endorse him anyway. I’ve asked them to share this new information with their members so they can reconsider in light of it, and I wanted to make sure our own members had the chance to do the same, given that we passed the endorsement along to our large membership.”

  • Skagit Democrats have endorsed BOTH Larsen & Scheel. The complete list is HERE.
  • The Stranger is an alternative news and commentary publication and website based in King County, but they do cover the WA state Supreme Court races. Click HERE and scroll down for Supreme Court recs.
  • Seattle Indivisible Supreme Court recommendations:
    Position 1: Justice Colleen Melody
    Position 3: Jaime Hawk
  • Position 5: Justice Theo Angelis

Registration, Election Dates, and Deadlines

Registration
Register to Vote or Update Your Registration at www.VoteWA.gov
Voter’s Pamphlet – Click HERE
Ballots mailed – July 15 (you should have received them by now)
Registration deadline via online or mail – July 27
Registration in-person – July 28 through August 4
Research the candidates & check out trusted endorsements
Returning your ballot – Mail by July 28; Drop box by 8 p.m. sharp on Election Day, August 4 (recommended)Drop box locations – Click HERE
Precinct elections map – Click HERE (pdf)

Checking your ballot
Remember to sign your ballot envelope with a signature that matches the one when you registered. We can’t tell you how many ballots are rejected every year because voters either forgot to sign or the signatures didn’t look similar.A few days after you vote, check to see if your ballot was accepted at www.VoteWA.gov. If it hasn’t, you may need to contact the Whatcom County Auditor’s office to check on it. Contact info. HERE.

You can also get text message updates directly to your phone.
Text VOTE to 868392 to sign up for free ballot notifications. You’ll receive updates when your ballot is received, accepted, or challenged. If your signature is missing or doesn’t match, you’ll get steps on how to fix it.

Resistance Squared Community Art Project: Call for Volunteers, Art & Donations

Click HERE

Resources mentioned in our June All Hands meeting (June15, 2026)

  • Community Allies for Queer Equity – Instagram page
  • Volunteer against IL26-001 & IL26-638 – Click HERE.
  • No Hate in Washington State – Click HERE.

Resources mentioned at our February All Hands meeting (Feb. 16, 2026)

  • Self Defense in a Hostile Digital World – Download HERE.
  • Washington Flips Congress in 2026 – Get the lowdown on how you can actually help flip Congress BLUE– HERE.
  • Neighborhood Readiness for ICE, March 7 – Sign up HERE.

Community Response to ICE – Feb. 4th Zoom

Download the Community Response Guide HERE.
For those who were able to attend our community call on Feb. 4th, as it relates to federal law enforcement and their alleged illegal actions, we heard what we are up against; updates on how the city, county, and state can best respond, and whether they are responding; and how we can mobilize and organize our community to be most effective in countering those actions with our own non-violent actions and civic engagement.

The discussion is just starting, and everyone wants to do more, which will inform and enable us to plan for what’s next.

Signs of Solidarity
Download printable signs by clicking on the image:

Whatcom County Disaster & Flood Information, click HERE. Check below for more resources.

Resources mentioned at our January All Hands meeting (Jan. 13, 2026)
Take the Next Steps to Make a Difference in 2026

  1. Get up trained on the Take Action Network (TAN) to build power in Olympia and beyond, make sure good legislation gets passed, and our state strengthens the “blue wall.” Sign up at bit.ly/4qyno7x
  2. Support your neighbors with Signs of Solidarity. Contact: Jenny Bardwell jbardwell@gmail.com
  3. If you are interested in learning more about Trans Rights and the Fight for Democracy and participating in a future community gathering, contact Christiana at christianavalentine816@gmail.com
  4. Build a bulwark for democracy by joining a Courage Collective. Register for an online briefing on participating in the first Courage Collectives by sending an email to ibgen48@gmail.com with the Subject line: Courage Collective.

Watch a video of our January All Hands Meeting on our website Videos page, or on our YouTube channel.

Immigrant Support – How to Be an Effective Bystander
Click HERE for Dos and Don’ts!

Food and Necessities Resources

In these insecure and unstable times, mutual aid can be imperative for survival. Food banks can be tapped intensively, and alternatives are needed. (The Bellingham Food Bank has already doubled its weekly food spending budget to compensate for the anticipated need, and you can donate at https://www.bellinghamfoodbank.org/give).

Bellingham Food Bank —> Click HERE
Ferndale Food Bank —> Click HERE
Foothills Food Bank —> Click HERE
Lummi Food Bank —> Click HERE
Project Hope Lynden Food Bank —> Click HERE
How to Access Food NOW —> Click HERE
Bellingham Businesses Offering Help —> Click HERE

The grassroots Little Free Pantry movement was launched in 2016 by Jessica McClard in Fayetteville, AR, by placing a wooden box on a post containing food, personal care, and paper items accessible to everyone all the time, no questions asked. She hoped her spin on the Little Free Library®concept would pique local awareness of food insecurity while creating a space for neighbors to help meet neighborhood food needs.

Little Free Pantry: This website is full of information about how to build and stock a little pantry, and more. The mini pantry movement is a crowdsourced solution to immediate and local need, feeding neighbors and nourishing neighborhoods, creating something big from something “little.” It is a way to give without expectations or strings, and to mutually benefit. There are several Little Free Pantries in and around Bellingham. You can find more details on specific locations through local social media groups or the Little Free Pantry interactive map.
Bellingham locations:
St. John’s Lutheran Little Free Pantry: 2530 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Sunnyland Free Pantry: Check their social media for the most up-to-date information, as the exact address may vary but is often in the Sunnyland neighborhood.
Birchwood Neighborhood Pantries:
3248 Firwood Ave
2833 Birchwood Ave
2930 Patton St
3329 Pinewood Ave
3138 Cherrywood Ave
3127 Bennett Dr
3315 Northwest Ave
Behind the ReStore on Kulshan.

Other food resources in Whatcom County include:
Salvation Army: Offers food pantries and meal programs for those in need.
Birchwood Share Spot: A community sharing spot open on Saturdays from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the Industrial Credit Union parking lot.
Community and mobile pantries:
Lummi Nation Food Pantry
Whatcom Asset Building Coalition: Lists weekly food bank and mobile pantry distributions throughout the Whatcom County area, including Bellingham, Ferndale, and Maple Falls.
Love2Hope is collecting unexpired canned and non-perishable human and pet food at their every-Sunday “Feed the Homeless and Their Pets” drive. Drop off donations between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. across from the Bellingham Public Main Library at 215 North Commercial Street in Bellingham.

Community Meals:
Bellingham Community Meal: Sundays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Assumption Church Gym.
Southside Community Meal: The 3rd Sunday of each month (except Dec., June, July, & Aug.) from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm at 1720 Harris Ave.
Food Not Bombs: Offers free meals on Sundays at 4:00 pm at Railroad St. & Holly St.
Freedge: A community refrigerator and pantry with locations in Bellingham, Maple Falls, and Concrete, stocked with food for anyone to take or leave. https://freedge.org/ Website is full of information about how to build a community fridge, deal with health inspectors, and apply for funds.
More local resources at Findhelp.org, Feedingamerica.org, Buy Nothing Project (on Facebook), and https://www.nokings.org/alliance?utm_source=indivisible

Statewide/Nationwide Resources:

The Washington State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential program that promotes the health, safety, and well-being of public service employees across Washington state. With over 50 years of experience and a diverse group of counselors, we foster an inclusive, caring, and trustworthy environment. EAP offers counseling, finanical, and legal referrals, guidance, and resources. EAP Website:  https://eap.wa.gov/ | Phone: 877-313-4455 | Email: wastateeap@des.wa.gov. EAP’sWork/Lifebenefit is available to WSDOTemployees. Access by visiting: https://helpwhereyouare.com/CompanyLogin/1669/DESWA & logging in with access code: WSDOT
2-1-1 information and referral – dial 2-1-1 or visit WA211.org
Food Resources:  https://wa211.org/resources/food/
Find your local food bank

Go to findhelp.org to find a food bank and other assistance programs near you.

DoorDash is partnering with 300+ food banks and waiving delivery fees for about 300,000 orders between November 1 and 30, 2025. Use the promo code SNAPDD to redeem. This offer is only available to customers with valid SNAP/EBT card numbers.

Statewide: Washington State Department of Agriculture: Access Food Near You

Tik Tok “Dollar Tree Dinners” link: https://www.tiktok.com/@dollartreedinners?lang=en

CLICK HERE to download the “Missing Paycheck” financial strategies tool. For
additional Financial Coaching support, visit: https://www.uwpc.org/center-strong-families-csf

WIC/SNAP Updates – for the latest benefit info:
SNAP
WIC
Health Department- Family Resource  Centers
Department of Social and Health Services Shutdown FAQ

Indivisible Bellingham Immigrant Support (IBIS)

Indivisible Bellingham Immigrant Support is made up of six lead members and several volunteers dedicated to providing direct support for our immigrant community in three key areas:

Accompaniment: Providing transportation and support for a wide range of needs, including DHS hearings, ICE check-ins, and medical and legal appointments. Volunteers with non-English language skills are especially helpful in this role.

Family Emergency Plans: Assisting families in preparing emergency plans, including Powers of Attorney for parental wishes and temporary guardianship. Language support is often essential for this work.

Community Events: Attending immigrant community gatherings such as Know Your Rights trainings, notary services, and resource fairs. Our presence demonstrates solidarity and helps with logistics such as set-up and childcare. Language skills are useful but not required here.

We actively collaborate with local organizations supporting immigrant support. Our Community Partners include:
WAISN – The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) is a statewide immigrant-led coalition that is building a strong justice movement to dismantle oppressive systems and ensure that the rights and dignity of all immigrants and refugees are upheld. As well as educating and organizing, WAISN manages Rapid Response and Accompaniment programs throughout the state. If you see a confirmed ICE or Border Patrol action or presence, call the WAISN hotline 844-724-3737, from 6:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday through Friday. If there is no response during or after these hours, please send a text to the hotline number.

IRIS – Immigrant Resources & Immediate Support responds to the urgent and unmet needs of immigrants in our communities in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties. Wrap around services are offered in coordination with other immigrant-serving providers and organizations. Most of the requests for IBIS assistance with accompaniments in Whatcom County come from IRIS. Donations are welcome and greatly appreciated. IRIS – Immigrant Resources Immediate Support

The Washington Indivisible Network is a way for local Indivisible chapters in Washington to pool resources and take action at a statewide level. You can follow WIN on Facebook and YouTube.

Take Action Network (TAN)

The Take Action Network, or TAN, enables members of organizations like Indivisible Bellingham to easily interact on bills, town halls, voting campaigns, and other important community issues being promoted by a variety of Washington state progressive organizations.

TAN is like having your own personal assistant for progressive action.

We encourage ALL members to start using TAN immediately – it’s the quick, easy way to engage and increase your political influence with your representatives and your community.

The Washington Indivisible Legislative Action (WILA) team is tracking legislation and creating easy actions via Take Action Network (TAN) that will show your legislators your support for great bills and opposition to bad bills. Take a few housekeeping steps and get ready to join others around the state.

If you already have a TAN account:

  • To ensure that TAN emails arrive in your inbox. After signing into TAN, click HERE and follow the directions. That’s it. You should be set to receive action emails from TAN.
  • If you’ve moved or changed Legislative or Congressional districts you may need to update them in TAN. From the Contact Info menu (drop down from person icon in upper right of TAN) review and correct your address and districts if necessary. Then click Update Info at the bottom to save your info.

If you’re new to TAN:

  • Click HERE and follow the instructions to learn about TAN and accept an invitation to join from more than 60 Indivisible groups.

TAN Trainings:

  • Get a quick start on making the Take Action Network (TAN) a mainstay for your daily or weekly activism. Attending an informative, fun, one-hour seminar on Zoom will get you using TAN immediately. Learn more and sign up for a session HERE.

Create or log in to http://www.leg.wa.gov.

  • Whether you use TAN, another organization, or both to take your actions, if you create an account on Leg.wa.gov, your sign-in actions will be saved to help you keep track so you don’t accidentally duplicate. Additionally, you can modify sign-ins if you changed your mind or made an error. To do this, follow the instructions on the Create a leg.wa.gov account to keep track of your sign-in actions TAN page.

Be a super-activist: Don’t miss a single WILA action. TAN provides a search capability that can email you all the actions created by WILA.

  1. Click HERE to go to the TAN WILA About page.
  2. Scroll way down to the bottom of the page and click the “WILA Legislative Actions To Do” link – this will add a search to your TAN dashboard.

Each day, any new WILA actions (that pertain to your district) will be emailed to you for quick and easy action.

Washington Indivisible Legislative Action (WILA)https://www.youtube.com/@WashingtonIndivisibleNetwork

When the state legislature is in session in Olympia, WILA bill trackers make sure Indivisibles from around the state are contacting their legislators to advance progressive legislation.

Here is the Take Action Network (TAN) dashboard of statewide actions when the legislature is in session. Read more about TAN and how you can join, below.

Washington Indivisible Schools Group

The Schools Group exists to support public education in Washington.

Sign up for the next activist call with partner organization Washington Stop Moms 4 Liberty. Check out the messaging guide. Check out the how to run for school board guide

They Represent Us and They Work For Us

Comprehensive 2024 Directory of Government Officials
(Courtesy of the League of Women Voters)

Indivisible Guide – A Practical Guide To Defeating MAGA

One thing Indivisible organizers know is that every Indivisible group has a role to play, all the time, no matter where you live or who your representative is. 2024 will require us to be present at all levels of government, from local village boards, to state legislatures and governors’ mansions, to senators, and the White House. If that sounds overwhelming, we’ve done the hard work of figuring out how to make it simple for you. According to our NEW guide, we need two big things:

  • We need to hold MAGA Republicans accountable for their extremism. That means forcing that extremism to the fringe and ensuring they pay the political price for it.
  • Democrats need to show up as fighters. We need them to tell a coherent and compelling core story about what it means to be a part of our coalition and refuse to collapse into passivity in the face of Republican extremism.

Check out the new Indivisible Guide. Use it to think about tactics we can use to work with your MoC (members of Congress) and build momentum in 2024.