MAILVOTE
Urgent: Washington Voters
Don’t let a delayed postmark silence your ballot.
New federal pressure on vote-by-mail and USPS postmark delays make Washington’s ballot-return plan more important than ever.
Tacoma • Pierce County • Democracy
Democracy isn’t
a spectator sport.
Know what’s happening. Know who’s responsible. Know your rights.
Network of Tacoma examines local and national political developments through the lens of constitutional government, democratic institutions, accountability, voting rights and the rule of law.
Mail Ballot Alert
Election center →Democracy Watch
Power needs a public record.
Tracking threats to democratic institutions, constitutional government and the rule of law—locally and nationally.
Democracy Watch
Five warning signs every voter should understand
Democracy rarely disappears in a single headline. It weakens when rules, rights and accountability are treated as optional.
Is This Normal?
Understanding the rule of law
A government that follows rules only when convenient is not asking for trust—it is asking for obedience.
Why It Matters
Free elections require more than a ballot.
They require equal access, trustworthy administration, private voting, reliable information and results that officials accept.
Constitution 101 →First Amendment Action
Show up. Speak out. Stay peaceful.
A living directory for people who want to take part in peaceful local organizing, public demonstrations, meetings, mutual aid and civic action. Network of Tacoma does not organize these events; always confirm details directly with the host.
Featured event · Voting Rights
The Ballot Is Our Power: We Won’t Give It Up
Join Grit City Community Collective for a peaceful voting-rights rally on Saturday, September 26, 1–3 p.m. at Point Defiance/Goldfish, 5310 N Pearl St.
01
Community organizing
Grit City Community Collective
Find a Tacoma-based community group focused on engagement, collaboration and local action.
Visit Grit City CC ↗ 02Local events
Indivisible Tacoma
Check the group’s current events, gatherings and opportunities to get involved around Tacoma.
See upcoming events ↗ 03Take action
Mobilize with Indivisible Tacoma
Browse current volunteer opportunities, rallies, trainings and voter-engagement actions.
Browse Mobilize ↗Participation principle: Peaceful protest, petitioning and public assembly are core First Amendment activities. Network of Tacoma supports nonviolent, lawful civic participation and respectful de-escalation.
Pierce County Watch
Government close to home.
Civic Primer
Pierce County government: the decisions beyond City Hall
County offices influence public safety, courts, elections, transportation, land use and more.
Coming Soon
Where your tax dollars go
Plain-language reporting on public spending, contracts and the priorities hidden in budgets.
Coming Soon
Public records watch
What government knows, what it releases, and when the public has to ask twice.
The 2026 Voter Guide
Your ballot.
Your community.
Your say.
Every major race. Ballot measures. Candidate answers. Campaign money. Voting information. No one has to vote in the dark.
Enter the voter guide01Candidates
Profiles and equal questions
02Ballot measures
Plain-English explanations
03Money
Sources and spending
04Voting
Deadlines and practical help
Fact Check
Claims deserve evidence.
New Fact Check · September 3
ICE, voter files and the unverified 250,000-voter claim
What procurement records, court rulings and public-records requests actually establish—and what they do not.
True
Supported by the best available evidence.
Misleading
Contains a fact but leaves out essential context.
False
Contradicted by reliable evidence.
Unverifiable
Cannot be confirmed with available evidence.
Constitution 101
The Constitution—without the legal jargon.
Constitution 101
Power is real. So are its limits.
Constitutional government is not about admiring a document. It is about enforcing limits when power is inconvenient.
Voters’ Rights
Your ballot is private. Your vote is yours.
Washington law recognizes fundamental voter rights, including the right to vote and the secrecy of the ballot.
“Facts matter. We will identify opinion as opinion. We will correct our mistakes.”Our editorial standards →
Opinion
Clear views. Clear labels.
Editorial
We are not neutral about democracy.
Network of Tacoma is independent and progressive. Our allegiance is to constitutional government, democracy and the people of this community—not a political party.
What We Believe
Defending democracy.
Strengthening Tacoma.
Democracy matters. Elections must be free and fair. The Constitution applies to everyone. No elected official is above the law.
We believe government should be transparent, public officials accountable, political violence unacceptable, and peaceful disagreement healthy.
We are an independent, progressive civic publication. We will identify opinion as opinion, acknowledge facts even when inconvenient, and correct our mistakes.