Statewide initiatives and referenda update

The initiative and referendum process, authorized under the Washington State Constitution (art. II § 1), provides for four types of statewide ballot measures:

• Initiatives to the people
• Initiatives to the Legislature
• Referendum measures
• Referendum bills

Initiatives and referendum measures are submitted to the Secretary of State’s office.

There are restrictions on the use of public facilities related to ballot measures. Elected officials and city staff should understand Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) guidelines before participating in any election activities, including taking a position on a ballot measure. For more information, check out these resources:

• Read our summary of what officials can and cannot do.
• See a complete listing of the PDC Guidelines for Local Government Agencies in Election Campaigns.
• Questions? Please contact the PDC or consult your jurisdiction’s legal counsel.

Initiatives to the people

These types of initiatives are filed within ten months ahead of the next November general election and must have petition signatures of registered voters gathered by a deadline each year in July (four months before the election). If certified to have sufficient signatures, initiatives to the people are submitted for a vote at the next state general election. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) develops fiscal impact statements for the voter’s pamphlet for initiatives that have qualified for the ballot.

So far this year, several initiatives have been filed, but it doesn’t appear any of them have active campaigns; this means they are unlikely to qualify for the November 2019 ballot. July 5, 2019 is the deadline to submit signatures for initiatives to the people, and sponsors must submit approximately 260,000 valid signatures to qualify for the next ballot.

Initiatives to the Legislature

These initiatives must be filed at least 10 days prior to the start of the legislative session in January with sufficient signatures of registered voters. If certified to have sufficient signatures, the Legislature may take one of three possible actions:

• Pass the initiative without amendment and it becomes law;
• Pass an alternative, in which case both the original and the alternative measures are submitted for a vote of the people at the next state general election; or
• Take no action and the original proposal is submitted for a vote at the next general election.

During the legislative session, initiatives undergo a process similar to other legislation, which may include lobbying and may involve hearings in legislative committees.

For the 2019 session, January 4 was the deadline to submit signatures for initiatives to the Legislature, and sponsors had to submit approximately 260,000 valid signatures.

There were two initiatives submitted to the Legislature, I-976 and I-1000. The Legislature opted to adopt I-1000 into law. They took no action on I-976, so this initiative will appear on the November ballot.

Referendum measures

Referenda are laws recently passed by the Legislature that are then placed on the ballot if petitions with a sufficient number of signatures by voters are filed within 90 days of the end of the legislative session.

Sponsors must submit approximately 130,000 valid signatures to qualify for the November 2019 ballot.

At this time, the only referendum that has been filed is one to send I-1000 to the voters. We will not know until August if enough signatures have been gathered to put this measure on the ballot.

AWC’s role

AWC does not take positions for or against any ballot initiative. AWC’s role is to provide our members with educational materials that can be shared with elected officials, staff, and the community. Additionally, please review the PDC’s guidelines for elected and appointed officials' participation in ballot proposition activity.