She was also involved with voter registration and studied at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. Spanel served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993 and in the Washington State Senate from 1993 to 2009.
She was involved with voter registration and studied at Fairhaven College, Western Washington University. Spanel held a position in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993 and later served in the Washington State Senate from 1993 until 2009.