A signature checker reviews some of the signatures for I-1351. (Photo courtesy of Katy Payne)

Our Elections Division is busy this week checking signatures that were submitted in early July for Initiative 1351. The initiative, if passed, would affect grades K-12 by lowering class sizes and increasing school staff.

For an initiative to qualify for the statewide ballot, there needs to be at least 246,372 valid signatures submitted (8 percent of the votes cast for Governor in the most recent gubernatorial election). Sponsors are encouraged to submit an additional 25 percent to allow for invalid signatures. I-1351 has far exceeded this minimum by turning in 348,072 signatures, according to an Elections Division official, allowing for a random 3 percent check of the total signatures, or 10,442 of the total.

The signature checking staff, comprised of 10 people who underwent State Patrol signature verification training, examined signatures Monday and Tuesday. They reviewed 1,666 signatures on Monday. Of those, the staff accepted 1,523 signatures; 125 signatures were not found, meaning the name and address were inconsistent; and 18 did not match, meaning the signature on the petition and the signature in the Voter Registration Database were not the same. Of the 4,294 signatures reviewed on Tuesday, 3,934 were accepted, 292 were not found, 64 had no match, two had missing signatures and two were duplicates.

Elections Division officials hope to complete the signature check for I-1351 by Thursday. If the completed signature check indicates there are enough signatures, Secretary of State Wyman will certify the check’s results, sending the initiative to the statewide ballot.

For more information about initiatives in Washington, please see the Secretary of State Initiatives FAQ.