State Feed: Washington

Institute for Justice Wins National Award for Lawsuit to Protect Recall Rights

Trevor — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:30:39 -0500

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process presented the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, with the September 2011 John Lilburne Award for filing a lawsuit in Washington State earlier this year to protect the right of citizens to recall their elected officials.

Washington State Senators Honored For Defeating Restrictive Initiative Bill

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:22:39 -0400

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Today, Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Washington state senators Don Benton and Pam Roach with the March 2011 John Lilburne Award for their outstanding work in successfully defeating Senate Bill 5297, legislation that would have severely restricted Washington’s initiative process.

Washington: More term limits discussion

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:35:59 -0400

When members of the Puyallup City Council revisited the issue of term limits last week, it seemed likely they would vote to approve or reject an advisory ballot measure for the public this November. Instead, conversation at the council’s June 8 meeting shifted to the possibility of enacting public initiatives and referendums, a way of taking the highly controversial subject of term limits out of the council’s hands.

Read the story from The News Tribune

Washington: Various measures up before council

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:10:19 -0400

Potential ballot measures, the campaign finance reform ordinance and the city’s budget are a few of the items up for discussion at the Eureka City Council’s meeting on Tuesday. The city has to submit measures to place on the November ballot soon, and the council will consider approving the Balloon Track property zoning measure and the supplemental transaction and use tax measure for that election.

Read the story from the Times-Standard

Washington: Legal immigrants circulate petition to crack down on illegals

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:48:10 -0400

Lorie Graff married her American husband at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in the late 1950s, before returning to Canada to apply for a green card so she could live in the U.S. legally. In the 1990s, Tiarani Samsi was able to finally follow her husband to the U.S. from Indonesia, after waiting three years for the legal papers.

Read the story from The Seattle Times

Washington: Union distances itself from marijuana initiative support

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:27:04 -0400

Supporters of Initiative 1068, which would legalize marijuana in Washington, are up in smoke at being dumped by an influential union and being treated as a “fringe issue” by the state Democratic Party. “It was (bleeping) tacky after they danced with us for months,” said Philip Dawdy, I-1068 campaign coordinator. The campaign learned, from an Associated Press reporter, that it would not be getting money from the Service Employees International Union and other wellsprings of cash for liberal causes in the Evergreen State.

Washington: Term limits measure on city ballot

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:40:49 -0400

It appears all Puyallup residents will have a chance to publicly voice their opinions on term limits for city council members. The council voted unanimously at its May 25 meeting to have city staff draft a proposal that would appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. Under Councilmember Don Malloy’s plan, the results of the “advisory ballot” wouldn’t bind the council to a decision but would give officials a clearer sense of how the public feels about the issue.

Washington: Signatures gathered for town red-light camera initiative

Thu, 27 May 2010 12:26:56 -0400

He has collected 3.4 million signatures from Washington state voters in the past decade, but now referendum guru Tim Eyman has set his sights on gathering just 1804 names — in his own home town. Eyman on Monday joined forces with Campaign for Liberty and the group BanCams.com to eliminate speed cameras and red light cameras from Mukilteo, a town of about 18,000 residents. Until now, Eyman has deliberately avoided becoming ensnared in local politics, but the traffic camera issue gave him no choice.

Washington: Liquor sale privatization measure gets Costco's support

Wed, 26 May 2010 12:16:22 -0400

Costco Wholesale stores in Washington will begin collecting signatures next week to put an initiative on the ballot in November that would take the state out of the liquor business. Initiative 1100 would allow businesses in good standing that currently sell beer and wine to also sell liquor, and it would eliminate price controls and allow volume discounts.

Read the story from The News Tribune

Washington: Sales tax measure doesn't make ballot

Tue, 25 May 2010 11:55:32 -0400

The King County Council fell one vote short Monday of sending residents an August ballot measure that would increase the county’s sales tax to save criminal justice services from drastic cuts. Despite pleas from Sheriff Sue Rahr and a room of uniformed police officers, the council’s four Republican members voted no. Needing six votes to pass, the measure died along an anticipated 5-4 partisan split.

Read the story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Washington: Employers group votes to support two-thirds tax vote measure

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:20:31 -0400

Employer representatives on the Association of Washington Business’ (AWB) Board of Directors have voted unanimously to support Initiative 1053, a measure requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes. Board members approved the vote May 13 during the state chamber of commerce’s annual Spring Board Meeting in Spokane.

Read the story from the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal

Washington: Wording approved for tax initiative

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:11:45 -0400

Backers of a state income tax say they’ll be on the street soon pitching Initiative 1098 to voters. A Thurston County judge approved final wording on the ballot title for I-1098, the high-earners income tax proposal backed by Bill Gates Sr., the Service Employees International Union and other groups. Thanks to Superior Court Judge Richard D. Hicks’ ruling, backers can print petitions and circulate them with voters in a sprint to collect 241,153 valid voter signatures by July 2 to qualify for the November ballot.

Seattle Times: "We Support the Initiative Mechanism"

Thu, 20 May 2010 17:12:58 -0400

This year, The Seattle Times is almost sure to oppose some of the initiatives that make the ballot. But we support the initiative mechanism. It is part of the political culture of our state and part of the grist of daily journalism. It brings issues to the fore. It is the stuff of democracy.

Read the editorial here.

Washington: Chicken decriminalization initiative drive underway

Thu, 20 May 2010 11:08:04 -0400

Chances are good if you attend any organized event in Bremerton in the coming weeks, you’ll see someone asking, “What the cluck?” or another chicken-related pun. That is one the strategies being employed in the bid to get a chicken decriminalization initiative on the November general election ballot. Supporters of the movement to allow up to four hens in Bremerton backyards were in view at the Armed Forces Parade on Saturday and planned to hit up commuters and outbound Mariner fans at the Bremerton ferry terminal on Wednesday.

Washington: Tax initiative signature drive starts

Thu, 20 May 2010 11:02:16 -0400

A state income tax has for years been the “third rail” of Washington politics, but a broad activist coalition on Wednesday night launched a signature drive to put Initiative 1098 onto the November ballot. It would be the first time a tax reform measure, including an income tax, has been put to a public vote in nearly 40 years.

Read the story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Citizens' Rights Safe in Many States as State Legislatures End Sessions

Tue, 18 May 2010 14:23:59 -0400

Of the 45 states whose legislatures hold sessions in 2010, 27 of them have adjourned for the year, and 5 more will wrap up before the end of the month. Of the more than 80 bills dealing with the initiative and referendum process in various states, 51 of them would have reduced citizens’ initiative rights. Thanks to the work of activists in our coalitions, only 3 bills reducing citizen’s rights have passed and become law.

Washington: New proposed initiatives on liquor sales and weapons

Fri, 07 May 2010 11:33:20 -0400

Another initiative to privatize the state’s liquor business is being proposed. A group calling itself Washington Citizens for Liquor Reform filed a measure to get the state out of the liquor business but to continue to raise money from it through a percentage of the booze sold. Also looking to give voters a chance to pass a new law is the North American Self-defense Association, which has one proposal to outlaw all martial arts weapons at schools and colleges, and another that would mandate “abduction prevention training” as part of physical education courses at public schools.

Transcript of Doe v. Reed Oral Arguments Available

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:27:04 -0400

Transcripts of the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday in Doe v. Reed - a case dealing with voter privacy - have been made available. You can read the transcript from the Court’s website here.

Washington: Supreme Court sounds unlikely to keep petition signatures private

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:54:02 -0400

In a hearing punctuated by sharp questions, U.S. Supreme Court justices Wednesday seemed skeptical that people who sign ballot petitions — including one that sought to overturn a gay-rights law in Washington state — should remain anonymous. “Running a democracy takes a certain amount of civic courage,” Justice Antonin Scalia said during oral arguments in a case brought by conservative groups trying to keep Referendum 71 petition signatures secret. “The First Amendment offers no protection against criticism or even nasty phone calls.”

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Doe v Reed Arguments Today

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:30:32 -0400

Today the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the Doe v Reed case out of Washington State. The case pits the privacy of petition signers against transparency in the process. This is an important case that will set precedent on the issue and be highly influential in future ballot initiative campaigns and court battles.