Linda is the former WAmend Chair. She grew up in Canada, but moved after graduate school to the United States. After 20 years without a political voice, she became a citizen in 2000, and vowed to roll up her sleeves for the changes she wanted to see. As a psychologist, Linda abhorred the role insurance companies play in the health care she was able to offer her patients and the pre-existing conditions they were saddled with. It was clear to her that big money (and the political leverage that purchases in the US) was impacting the care people were receiving.

Ken is a retired Everett firefighter, paramedic and fire captain. He’s been active in Firefighter’s Local 46 and various community groups. In his previous lives, he was the drummer in the 60’s era rock band Fragile Lime, a reluctant soldier, a scholar (Ph.D. in developmental psychology), an adjunct professor, dishwasher, and just about everything in between. He serves on the newsletter committee and chairs the resource development committee.

Alpana is an educator, advocate, community organizer, and academic researcher. As an activist, she has been involved in public policy work for over 15 years through various organizations. She is committed to empower communities at the local, state, and federal level. She has over a decade of experience teaching K-12 students and post-doctoral research experience in higher academia.

Former chair of the corporate personhood/clean elections committee for MoveOn.org’s Seattle Council and former Coordinator for the reported #1 council in MoveOn. Co-founder of WAmend and chair of the committee that wrote I-735. Norm was instrumental in helping write the initiative language and is a great source of historical and constitutional information.

Erik is an Attorney with the law firm Lee Smart. He graduated cum laude from Seattle University School of Law, where he served as the Business and Marketing Editor for the school’s law review and made the Dean’s List. Erik has previously worked on election reform issues as a steering committee member for Fair Elections Seattle’s Proposition 1 campaign, and for FairVote, including in their national headquarters in the Washington, DC area, and as the campaign manager against three ballot measures in Pierce County, Washington. Prior to that, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland, working on HIV/AIDS education.

Guadalupe De Los Angeles Lyn, originally from Managua, Nicaragua, has spent the past 23 years residing in Las Vegas, Nevada. Throughout this time, she has dedicated herself to advocating for environmental protection and addressing social issues. She is an active volunteer with Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Chispa Nevada, Moms Demand Action, and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). She brings over two decades of experience in the banking industry, specializing in mortgage operations. Guadalupe also has a rich history in politics. In the 1990s, she embarked on a journey as a young senator and law student, with the Partido Camino Cristiano Nicaragüense (CCN), a Nicaraguan political party. However, her political aspirations were thwarted by corruption and manipulation within the system, leading to the confiscation of her congressional seat. Despite this setback, she remains steadfast and committed to serving her community and supporting democracy.

Ned Witting is a successful American businessman, entrepreneur, and political junkie. He is currently a Puyallup, WA City Council Member, representing District 3. He and his wife Karilee have been residents of Puyallup, WA for over 20 years. Professionally, Ned earned a CPA and an MBA, and has served as a controller and chief financial officer. As a business entrepreneur, he and his partners purchased Valley Press and renamed it Print NW. In the ensuing years they grew its revenues 10-fold. Ned is the author of Political Gridlock: It’s Time for a Reboot, where he looks at Congress through the eyes of an efficiency expert and considers why it isn't working the way it should, and explains how our political process has invisibly disenfranchised moderates. It is also the how-to manual on how to reboot our government. It evaluates the obstacles to effective governance and suggests solutions for each.

Jim is the founder and Executive Director of the Citizens Institute for Public Policy. He led the “Safer Spokane” campaign to require crude oil shipments through Spokane to have a reduced volatility, which ultimately led to a State law accomplishing the objective statewide. He served on the Board of “Spokane Moves to Amend” (S.M.A.C.), which was the group working for I-735 (and subsequently folded into Fix Democracy First). He is currently working on a project to convert Avista Utilities to a non-profit, customer-owned cooperative. Jim has three grown children and 4 grandchildren.

Juan Vega is a long-time voting advocate and has been registering and educating voters for more than twelve years. He has been the Lead Coordinator for Voter Registration for Seattle Hempfest since 2009, helping collect more than 10,000 voter registrations in that time. He is dedicated to expanding voter participation and is currently working on a youth civic engagement and outreach program to help train and educate young people to get involved. Juan has two daughters, six grandchildren, and thirteen great grandchildren, and has been a resident of Seattle, Washington since 1968.