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Category: Initiatives

I-1366 survives court challenge, but high court appeal looms

I-1366 survives court challenge, but high court appeal looms

King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum has declined to block Initiative 1366 from the fall statewide ballot. Opponents of Tim Eyman’s anti-tax measure had tried to derail it from appearing on the ballot, asserting that it has an overarching purpose of amending the state constitutional, which cannot be done by initiative. Eyman’s plan would lower the state sales tax by one percentage point, from 6.5 to 5.5, unless lawmakers place a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2016 ballot to…

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Secretary Wyman asks court to allow vote on I-1366

Secretary Wyman asks court to allow vote on I-1366

Initiative checkers review I-1366 signatures earlier this summer. Secretary Wyman, the state’s chief elections officer, is urging King County Superior Court to allow a public vote this fall on Initiative 1366. Wyman said she takes no position on the initiative nor on whether it would be constitutional if approved by the voters. She said her interest is in defending the public’s right to vote on a measure that was qualified for the ballot via petitions signed by over 339,000 people….

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I-1366, I-1401 certified, heading to fall ballot

I-1366, I-1401 certified, heading to fall ballot

Assistant Secretary of State Mark Neary certifies I-1366 and I-1401. Two initiatives, one dealing with taxes and the other with endangered animals, officially have the green light to go onto the General Election ballot this fall. Assistant Secretary of State Mark Neary Thursday certified that Initiative 1366 and I-1401 both have enough valid signatures to be placed on the statewide ballot. I-1366, sponsored by initiative activist Tim Eyman, would make it harder for the Legislature to raise taxes. I-1401, backed…

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Signature check under way for I-1401; 1366 next

Signature check under way for I-1401; 1366 next

A signature checker reviews I-1401 signatures at the Elections Division office. Elections Division signature checkers are busily sifting through petitions signed for initiatives I-1401, Paul Allen’s sponsored proposal to protect endangered species, and I-1366, activist Tim Eyman’s proposal aimed at making it harder to raise taxes in Olympia. Signature checkers play a key role in “direct democracy” by making sure signatures submitted for initiatives are valid. In Washington, 246,372 valid signatures, or 8 percent of the total votes cast for…

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`Direct democracy’ sponsors eye ballot spot

`Direct democracy’ sponsors eye ballot spot

Two citizen initiative campaign submitted boxloads of petitions by the Friday deadline, and both appear to have an excellent shot at making the statewide ballot this fall. Tim Eyman, the state’s most prominent use of the initiative process, turned in what he and co-sponsors Jack and Mike Fagan estimated at at least 334,000 signatures for their Initiative 1366. That measure would direct the Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the 2016 ballot for ratification — or face a 1-cent…

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Initiative filing season under way

Initiative filing season under way

Around here, January’s arrival doesn’t mean just a new year, it also means the start of another initiative filing season. Filing for Initiatives to the People opened Jan. 3. Registered voters can file initiatives here through July 2. Thirty-seven initiatives have been filed as of Friday morning, 17 of them by initiative king Tim Eyman. Of the 37, 29 have been assigned numbers. Go here to see the initiatives filed so far. In Washington State, any registered voter may propose new…

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WA counties certify 2014 election results

WA counties certify 2014 election results

Washington’s 39 counties have certified their 2014 election returns, in an election dominated by legislative and congressional races, state and local ballot propositions, and local races. Turnout here, as in the rest of the country, was comparatively low for a mid-term election. In Washington, the county tallies totalled 2.12 million votes, or 54.16 percent of the ballots that were mailed out. That was similar to the 56 percent turnout in 2002, the last mid-term election that did not feature a…

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WA Election 2014 under way; 62% turnout forecast

WA Election 2014 under way; 62% turnout forecast

Washington’s General Election is under way.  About 65,000 military and overseas ballots were going out by Saturday, Sept. 20, many of them sent electronically, and those voters are able to begin voting as soon as they receive their ballots. The other 3.8 million registered voters will be getting ballots and Voters’ Pamphlets by this time next month. The 18-day voting period kicks off Oct. 17. Ballots can be voted any time after they are received. They may be returned by…

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Wyman: Zero-tolerance for petition fraud

Wyman: Zero-tolerance for petition fraud

Secretary Wyman, whose office oversees “direct democracy” through ballot measures, says she’s gratified that a jail term has been ordered for a Snohomish County woman who was convicted of initiative fraud. The jail term, believed to be the first such sentence for this type of fraud, underscores that Washington has “zero tolerance” for petition fraud, Secretary Wyman said. The six-month jail/work-release sentence was imposed by Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Anita Farris on Julie Klein, 54, Marysville, The Herald of…

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I-1351 qualifies for WA ballot

I-1351 qualifies for WA ballot

Secretary of State Kim Wyman on Friday certified an initiative aiming to lower class sizes in Washington public schools. The measure, Initiative 1351, will be placed on the statewide ballot this fall after a check this week determined it has enough signatures to qualify. A team of 10 signature checkers finished their work late Thursday afternoon after beginning Monday morning. For an initiative to qualify for the statewide ballot, sponsors must submit at least 246,372 valid signatures, equal to 8…

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