u/Efficient-Gear9101

One of our goals with the People's Town Hall is to remove as many barriers to participation as we can.

To help make the event welcoming and accessible, we'll be providing:

ASL interpretation
Childcare
Vegan and gluten-free food provided by Lilac Mutual Aid
A live broadcast by KYRS Community Radio
Live music by When She Dreams beginning at noon

We're also partnering with Lilac Mutual Aid for a donation drive during the event. If you're able, please consider bringing one or more of the requested items shown in the attached flyer to support their ongoing work serving Spokane community members experiencing housing insecurity.

The Town Hall will bring together 16 congressional and state legislative candidates for a community forum ahead of the August primary.

Sunday, July 12

Spokane Central Library

Doors Open & Live Music: 12:00 PM

Town Hall Begins: 12:30 PM

The event is free and open to the public, and we hope you'll join us.

We're excited to announce the participating candidates for the People's Town Hall on Sunday, July 12 at Spokane Central Library.

The People's Town Hall is a nonpartisan community candidate forum bringing together candidates, community organizations, local media, and residents to discuss issues affecting our region and help voters make informed decisions ahead of the election.

One of the goals of this event is to make sure the discussion reflects the concerns of the community, and public question submissions are now open.

Questions may be submitted by anyone and can be directed toward:

• All candidates
• Congressional candidates
• Legislative candidates
• Specific candidates

Questions submitted by community organizations and members of the public will both be considered as we build the program. Similar questions may be combined, and not every submission will be asked, but every submission helps shape the discussion.

Questions can be submitted through the form below, through the People's Town Hall event listing at SpokanePeoplesCalendar.com, or through the "Help Shape the People's Town Hall - Submit a Question" link at the top of the calendar.

Question Submission Form:
https://tally.so/r/J9GgMR

The event will feature:
• Fourteen participating candidates from congressional and legislative races
• Questions sourced from community organizations and the public
• Live music by When She Dreams
• A live broadcast by KYRS Community Radio
• Food provided by Lilac Mutual Aid
• ASL interpretation
• Childcare

Event Details
Sunday, July 12
Spokane Central Library

Doors Open: 12:00 PM
Live Music: 12:00 PM
Program Begins: 12:30 PM

Hosted by Spokane People's Calendar and other local organizations in partnership with Spokane Public Library and KYRS Community Radio.

We're committed to making the event as welcoming and accessible as possible. Additional information about food, accessibility, childcare, and other event details will be announced soon.

Whether you're interested in housing, healthcare, wages, democracy, public services, transportation, climate, education, or another issue entirely, we'd love to hear what questions you'd like candidates to address.

We hope you'll join us, submit a question, and help shape the conversation.

At the Spo-Candidate Meet & Bingo, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a Ranked Choice Voting mock primary conducted by FairVote Washington - Spokane.

We intentionally waited until after attendees had spent time meeting candidates before inviting them to vote. The goal was not simply to collect opinions, but to give people an opportunity to rank candidates after hearing directly from them and asking questions.

To demonstrate how a Top 5 primary could work under Ranked Choice Voting, participants ranked the congressional candidates in order of preference rather than selecting only a single candidate. The ballot included every candidate who had filed for the race, regardless of whether they were able to attend the event.

The mock primary produced five advancing candidates:

• Kevin Fagan
• Andrew Bartleson
• Richard Freudenberg
• Bajun Mavalwalla
• Nate Powell

Kevin Fagan emerged as the strongest overall performer in the mock primary. He received more first-choice support than any other candidate in the mock primary and secured a place in the Top 5 early.

Because Kevin received more support than was needed to advance, some of those ballots were then counted toward voters' next choices to help determine the rest of the field. The screenshots included with this post show that process in action.

In a traditional election, those additional votes would not affect anything else. Under Ranked Choice Voting, they can continue helping determine which other candidates advance based on voters' later preferences.

Kevin Fagan shared the following reaction to the results:

“I was honored to receive so much support in the FairVoteWA Ranked Choice Voting mock primary. It was great to have the opportunity to meet voters face-to-face and answer questions about the issues that matter to them. I also support efforts to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Washington because I believe it gives voters more voice and more choice.”

Kevin Fagan

This activity was designed to demonstrate how Ranked Choice Voting works after attendees had an opportunity to meet candidates, ask questions, and learn more about the race. The goal was to give participants a hands-on experience with the voting system while exploring how a Top 5 primary could work in practice.

Thank you to FairVote Washington - Spokane for organizing the activity and helping attendees learn more about Ranked Choice Voting.

We're also looking forward to continuing these conversations at the People's Town Hall on July 12 at Spokane Central Library, where candidates will once again have an opportunity to engage directly with community members on the issues that matter most to Spokane.

We tried something different this weekend, and Spokane showed up.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Spo-Candidate Meet & Bingo such a success.

The goal of the event was simple: create an opportunity for voters to meet candidates face-to-face, ask questions, compare perspectives, and become more informed before the primary election.

Throughout the afternoon, attendees met congressional, countywide, and legislative candidates in a structured "speed dating" style format that emphasized conversation over speeches. Community organizations were also on hand to connect with attendees, and almost two dozen raffle prizes donated by local businesses, artists, and organizations helped add an extra layer of fun to the event.

The feedback we received from both attendees and candidates was overwhelmingly positive. We repeatedly heard words like creative, engaging, informative, and fun. Several candidates commented that the format allowed them to have more meaningful conversations with voters than they often experience at traditional forums.

One piece of feedback we heard from attendees was that they wished there had been even more time to continue conversations and visit candidates. With so many candidates participating, we did our best to balance meaningful discussions with giving attendees an opportunity to meet everyone on their bingo card. Frankly, that's a challenge we're happy to have.

A huge thank you to:
• The candidates who gave up part of their Sunday to engage directly with voters
• The volunteers who helped keep everything running smoothly
• The local businesses, artists, and organizations that donated raffle prizes
• Fix Democracy First - Spokane for educating attendees about getting money out of politics
• FairVote Washington - Spokane for conducting our Ranked Choice Voting mock primary election
• Everyone who attended and helped create a welcoming, thoughtful atmosphere

We're especially grateful to the diverse group of community members who showed up ready to listen, ask questions, and participate in the democratic process.

We'll be sharing the results of the FairVote Washington Ranked Choice Voting mock primary election in a separate post soon, along with an explanation of how the ballot worked and how attendees ranked the congressional candidates.

We're also looking forward to continuing the conversation at the People's Town Hall on July 12 at Spokane Central Library, where candidates will once again have an opportunity to engage directly with community members on the issues that matter most to Spokane.

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this event possible.

Over $1,000 in donated raffle prizes, free food, and the chance to meet candidates face-to-face before ballots arrive.

This Sunday, June 21, the INWCLP and the Spokane People's Calendar are hosting the Spo-Candidate Meet & Bingo at the Spokane Central Library from 1:00pm-3:30pm.

Candidates for Congressional District 5, Legislative Districts 3, 4, and 6, along with countywide races, have been invited to participate.

The format is simple: candidates will be stationed at tables around the room and attendees will rotate through, giving everyone a chance to have real conversations and ask questions directly. No speeches from a stage. No moderators deciding what gets asked. Just direct interaction with the people asking for your vote.

To encourage participation, attendees can complete a bingo card by meeting candidates and community organizations. Completed cards can be entered into a raffle featuring prizes donated by local businesses, artists, and community supporters from across Spokane.

Whether you're deeply involved in politics or usually ignore local elections until your ballot arrives, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the people running to represent you.

Sunday, June 21
1:00pm-3:30pm
Spokane Central Library - Events A & B

Hope to see you there.

We’re excited to announce that When She Dreams will be performing live before the People’s Town Hall on July 12 at Spokane Central Library.

The People’s Town Hall is a nonpartisan community candidate forum bringing together candidates, community organizations, local media, and residents to discuss issues affecting our region and help voters make informed decisions ahead of the election.

Doors open at noon, with live music before the forum begins at 12:30 PM.

We’ll also be announcing participating candidates and opening public question submissions after our June 21 Meet & Bingo event.

Hosted by Spokane People’s Calendar in partnership with Spokane Public Library, KYRS Community Radio, and other local organizations.

We’d love to hear what issues you’d most like candidates to discuss.

The Inland Northwest Coalition for the Liberation of Palestine (INWCLP) and the Spokane People’s Calendar, together with several community partners, is hosting the first-ever Spo-Candidates Meet & Bingo on Sunday, June 21 from 1:00-3:00 PM at Spokane Central Library (Events A/B).

The goal is to create a more casual and interactive alternative to a traditional candidate forum. Attendees will be able to meet candidates face-to-face, ask questions directly, and learn about local races in a relaxed environment.

To encourage people to connect with every candidate, participants can complete a bingo card and enter a raffle featuring prizes donated by local businesses, artists, and community supporters.

Confirmed candidates include individuals running for:
• Congressional District 5
• Legislative Districts 3, 4, and 6
• County Prosecutor
• County Clerk

The event will also include free vegan and gluten-free food and participation from a number of local organizations.

Date: Sunday, June 21
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (doors open at 12:30 PM)
Location: Spokane Central Library, Events A/B
906 W Main Ave

Hope to see some of you there.

If you’re feeling fired up today, there’s a full day of community events tomorrow (Sat 5/2) to plug into:

🔥 11:00-12:30 - Spokane People’s Calendar Monthly Meeting @ Hillyard Library
Free lunch + a solid way to meet folks and get connected

🎸 12:00-5:00 - Punk in Perry
Mutual aid fundraiser + 13 bands, 2 stages, vendors, community vibes
(S Perry between 10th–12th)

📚 5:30-7:30 - Lilac School for Liberation
Evening class + dinner provided @ Saranac

Whether you want to organize, learn, support mutual aid, or just be around good people - there’s something here.

Pull up to one thing or make a whole day of it.

More events always at: SpokanePeoplesCalendar.com

Hey - wanted to put this on people’s radar since I haven’t seen it on here yet.

There’s a free, all-ages punk/alt fest happening this Saturday on South Perry (between 10th & 12th), noon–5pm. It’s also a mutual aid fundraiser for Mutual Aid Survival Squad (M.A.S.S.).

They’re a local group that’s been consistently showing up - cooking meals, handing out supplies, doing harm reduction, etc. This event is basically a way to support that work while also just… having a good community day.

There’ll be:

• Two stages of local bands
• Free stuff like haircuts / nail care / other resources
• A bunch of people hanging out who actually care about this city

If you’re able, they’re collecting donations to give out directly:

• Instant coffee / creamer, hot cocoa
• Shelf-stable food
• Hygiene stuff
• Clothes, shoes, backpacks, blankets
• Disposable gloves, bags, etc.
• Cash (goes to meals + supplies)

No pressure if you can’t bring anything - seriously, just showing up is good too.

Felt like the kind of thing more people should know about.