Editorial: Civics bills would result in better-informed voters

By The Herald Editorial Board

Any user of Facebook will have noticed the change during last year’s political campaigns in the number of posts, stories and comments related to politics as opposed to the social network’s usual mix of cat videos, recipes and selfies.

The election and last month’s inaugural of President Trump hasn’t changed that. Many will say it’s only intensified since Inauguration Day.

That’s bad news if Facebook was your escape from politics. It’s great news if you believe it reflects renewed passion among your fellow Americans for civic engagement in local, state and federal systems of government, and not only as a voter, but as a greater participant in the overall process.

State lawmakers, among those most engaged, are eager to see their fellow state residents increase their participation. In particular they want to know that the state’s students are prepared for participating in the civic life of their communities, their state and their country.

Herald columnist Jerry Cornfield outlined three pieces of state legislation keyed on expanding civics education in schools. Briefly:

Senate Bill 5236 would create a public-private partnership for civic learning that would develop six pilot projects in local communities at K-12 schools.

Senate Bill 5313 would would remove a tax exemption provided to political campaigns to generate funding to develop a civics curriculum, overseen by the state Secretary of State’s office, for middle school, secondary and post-secondary students and adults. (A portion of the funding would go to the state’s Public Disclosure Office to support its work in investigating campaign finance complaints.)

House Bill 1706 would require as a graduation requirement passage of a test comprised of 50 questions that are typically asked of those seeking U.S. citizenship. A passing grade would require correct answers on 35 of the 50 questions.

Education in government and civics are already part of graduation requirements for students. The state requires three credits of social studies for graduation, a half-credit of which must be in civics, including instruction in federal, state and local government; rights and responsibilities in the state and U.S. constitutions; current issues before each level of government; and current election issues.

We’re not convinced the students in Washington state aren’t getting an adequate education in civics. But teachers have had to be resourceful in incorporating civics lessons into the school day as officials, lawmakers, business leaders and others have demanded greater emphasis and more testing on English, math and science at a loss in class time for art, music, physical education and social studies and civics.

That said, there’s merit in further discussion of the three pieces of legislation cited and seeking ways to improve civic education for everyone.

Lawmakers, however, should hesitate before adding another test as a graduation requirement.

To get a sense for the test, you can take a 20-question practice test at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ website at my.uscis.gov/prep/test/civics. Among the typical questions on the multiple-choice test are “Who does a U.S. Senator represent?”; “When was the Constitution written?”; and “What does the President’s Cabinet do?”

Better than another hurdle to graduation, however, the citizenship test would make a fitting gateway to election eligibility.

It could be used as an exercise that then encourages students to begin the process of voter registration. Among a package of election reforms Secretary of State Kim Wyman is seeking is a proposal to allow 17-year-olds to register early, creating a pending file of voters that would not appear on the state’s official list of voters until they are 18.

Currently, 17-year-olds are permitted to vote in primaries and caucuses if they will be 18 as of the date of the general election.

Sen. Hans Zeiger, R-Puyallup, sponsor of SB 5236, told The Herald he is worried that our nation’s civil discourse is breaking down.

“The future of this country depends on our ability to resolve our differences in a civil and constructive way, and that absolutely begins with civic education,” Zeiger said.

Expanding civic education may not do anything for your Facebook feed, but it will make for better-informed and active citizens.