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Tag: ballot measures

WA voters will face two first-ever tax advisory measures

WA voters will face two first-ever tax advisory measures

Washington voters will get a first-ever chance to give their non-binding opinion on a pair of revenue bills passed by the Legislature this year and signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire in May. According to Solicitor General Maureen Hart, voter-approved Initiative 960 triggers advisory votes on provisions of House Bill 2590, extending the petroleum tax that pays for the pollution liability insurance trust account, and Senate Bill 6635, an omnibus bill dealing with tax preferences, including a provision removing…

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WA 2011 election turnout: almost 53 percent

WA 2011 election turnout: almost 53 percent

Counties have certified election returns for the 2011 General Election, with results from 1.94 million ballots. Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire will certify the election next Monday. The state enjoyed a better-than-expected “turnout” of 52.95 percent, or 6 percentage points higher than forecast for the off-year election with no statewide contests such as governor, U.S. senator or president on the ballot.  Secretary Reed said Wednesday he was pleased with the turnout:   “This was our first…

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We’ve got your ballot measure info online

We’ve got your ballot measure info online

If you’re looking for a one-stop place to read up on the six statewide initiatives and the three other ballot measures that will be on this November’s ballot, you’re in luck. Our State Elections Division has posted a State Measures link on its website. When you click on it and go to one of the ballot measures, you’ll find such features as its ballot title, fiscal impact statement, explanatory statement, and statements for and against it. The six initiatives that…

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Here’s your quick guide to WA ballot measures

Here’s your quick guide to WA ballot measures

Here’s a quick once-over from our state Elections Division (recap only, not the fancy wording from the Attorney General wordsmiths): Office of the Secretary of State 2010 Ballot Measures Overview Initiatives on the Ballot Initiative Measure 1098 – State Income Tax on High Income Earners This measure would tax “adjusted gross income” above $200,000 (individuals) and $400,000 (joint-filers), reduce state property tax levies, reduce certain business and occupation taxes, and direct any increased revenues to education and health. Initiative Measure…

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Booze on ballot: Make it a double

Booze on ballot: Make it a double

Two liquor privatization measures will appear on the Washington state ballot this year. The state Elections Division announced Friday afternoon that sponsors for Initiative 1105 submitted enough voter signatures to make the November ballot. Secretary of State Sam Reed is expected to officially certify I-1105 early next week. Whereas the other liquor privatization proposal, Initiative1100, would let retailers buy liquor stock directly from manufacturers, I-1105 would require use of wholesalers. I-1105, backed by wholesalers, submitted 358,525 signatures, a large enough…

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Voting, again? Ballots coming your way

Voting, again? Ballots coming your way

It seems like we just counted the last of the November ballots and put the election equipment away, but any day now, most Washington voters will be getting ballots in the mail for the February 9 election. The state Elections Division has tallied it up: 254 measures are on the ballot in 37 counties, mostly special property tax levies for support of local schools.  Most of the state’s 3.5 million registered voters will take part, although Ferry and Pend Oreille…

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Thurston judge OKs pause in Eyman lawsuit

Thurston judge OKs pause in Eyman lawsuit

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks has granted the state’s request to pause  further proceedings in initiative activist Tim Eyman’s court challenge of the Secretary of State’s policy of releasing initiative petitions under terms of the Public Records Act. Hicks agreed with a motion brought by a senior official of the Attorney General’s Office, Deputy Solicitor General James Pharris, to put a hold on the Thurston County lawsuit while the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to review a federal…

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R-71 Part Deux: Will high court take up disclosure ban?

R-71 Part Deux: Will high court take up disclosure ban?

The continuing court battle by foes of Referendum 71 to shield their petitions from public view stepped up a notch Friday with filing of papers formally outlining the reasons why they want the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case and uphold a disclosure ban. A 30-second recap: In September, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma agreed to Protect Marriage Washington’s request to block the Secretary of State from the scheduled release of over 9,000 R-71  petition sheets…

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R-71: Effective 12-3-09

R-71: Effective 12-3-09

Media outlets have declared Referendum 71 approved by voters, describing it as the country’s first voter-ratified gay-rights measure.   As of Friday afternoon, the measure had an approval margin of nearly 71,000, or about 5 percentage points –754,180 to 683,320.  King County, which accounts for nearly a third of the electorate, was giving the measure an approval margin of over 150,000. King’s approval rate has been running 68 percent, and a number of the ballots remaining to be counted are from that county….

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R-71 signature battle heads to federal appeals judges

R-71 signature battle heads to federal appeals judges

Washington’s Attorney General and Secretary of State will ask a federal appeals court on Wednesday to overturn a lower court ruling and allow release of Referendum 71 petitions. There’s some question, though, whether voters will be able to actually see the public records before the election is over and done, even if the state proves its case that the voter-approved Public Records Act requires disclosure of the documents. R-71 sponsors, Protect Marriage Washington, won a federal court order in Tacoma blocking…

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