Washington 2015 ballot measures

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• Not on the ballot
• Historical facts
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Six ballot measures were on the November 3, 2015, ballot in the state of Washington. Four measures were approved and two measures were defeated.

Two measures were initiatives to the people and both were approved. One initiative addresses animal trafficking, and the other tackles taxes. The other four measures are advisory questions and Advisory Votes No. 10 and 11 were defeated.

One measure, Initiative 1366, was overturned in a January 2016 court ruling.

The 2015 legislative session began on January 12, 2015, and concluded on April 26, 2015. The state allows initiated statutes and referendums, as well as amendments referred by the Washington State Legislature upon a two-thirds majority vote of each chamber. In order to put measures before voters in 2015, supporters were required to collect at least 246,372 valid signatures by July 2, 2015.

The Washington Secretary of State features an online voters guide that can be read here. TVW, Washington's public affairs network, teamed up with the secretary of state to create a video voters' guide for the 2015 election, which can be viewed here.

On the ballot

See also: 2015 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITP	Initiative 1366	Taxes	Sales tax decrease/Supermajority vote for tax increases	a ot
ITP	Initiative 1401	Animals	Penalties for trafficking in rare animal species	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 10	Taxes	Oil spill prevention taxes	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 11	Marijuana	Medical marijuana patient database fees	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 12	Taxes	Status of tax increase of 11.9 cents	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 13	Taxes	Tax preferences for certain manufacturers	d

Not on the ballot

See also: Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITP	Initiative 1372	Marijuana	Creates a board to license, regulate and allow for medical marijuana production
ITP	Initiative 1380	Elections	Changes how the state allocates presidential-electoral votes
ITP	Initiative 1360	Transportation	Limits state and local vehicle license fees
ITP	Initiative 1361	Transportation	Requires new bridge or highway tolls to be approved by voters
ITP	Initiative 1362	Transportation	Prohibits the installation and use of automatic ticketing cameras
ITP	Initiative 1363	Taxes	Repeals the state sales tax
ITP	Initiative 1364	Taxes	Repeals state use taxes
ITP	Initiative 1365	Taxes	Repeals business and occupation taxes
ITP	Initiative 1367	Taxes	Repeals motor vehicle fuel taxes
ITP	Initiative 1368	Taxes	Reduces the maximum regular property lax levies each year
ITP	Initiative 1369	Taxes	Repeals real estate excise taxes
ITP	Initiative 1370	Taxes	Decreases the sales tax rate
ITP	Initiative 1371	Labor	Prohibits employee paycheck deductions from used for political purposes
ITP	Initiative 1373	Marijuana	Creates a government recreational marijuana agency
ITP	Initiative 1374	Marijuana	Creates a board to license, regulate and allow for medical marijuana production
ITP	Initiative 1375	Marijuana	Creates a government recreational marijuana agency
ITP	Initiative 1376	Direct Democracy	Increases signature-gathering time for initiatives
ITP	Initiative 1377	Taxes	Decreases the sales tax rate
ITP	Initiative 1378	Taxes	Prohibits government-imposed taxes, fees or charges for checkout bags
ITP	Initiative 1379	Taxes	Decreases the sales tax rate
ITP	Initiative 1381	Taxes	Imposes a tax on the income of state bar associates and judges based on grievances filed
ITP	Initiative 1382	Law Enforcement	Prohibits state and local government from recording people without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity
ITP	Initiative 1383	Law Enforcement	Requires law enforcement officers to wear body cameras on duty
ITP	Initiative 1384	Law Enforcement	Requires public notice when any law enforcement officer uses force
ITP	Initiative 1385	Taxes	Prohibits the use of public resources to collect money for political purposes
ITP	Initiative 1386	Admin of gov't	Prohibits state bar associates from being employed in the executive or legislative branches of state government
ITP	Initiative 1387	Marijuana	Eliminates civil and criminal penalties for marijuana related activities
ITP	Initiative 1388	Education	Requires two-thirds of spending increases to be allocated to education programs
ITP	Initiative 1389	Min wage	Requires a uniform minimum wage for all employees in the state
ITP	Initiative 1390	Trials	Requires a jury trial for lawsuits brought without attorneys that are dismissed
ITP	Initiative 1391	Federal Con	Urges the legislature to propose a federal constitutional amendment regarding free speech
ITP	Initiative 1394	Min wage	Requires a uniform minimum wage for all employees in the state
ITP	Initiative 1395	Labor	Prohibits employers from conditioning employment on union membership or nonmembership
ITP	Initiative 1396	Federal Con	Urges the legislature to propose a federal constitutional amendment regarding free speech
ITP	Initiative 1397	Taxes	Provides tax reductions and exemptions by phasing in a pollution tax on fossil fuels
ITP	Initiative 1398	Adult	Legalizes brothels in all counties of the state
ITP	Initiative 1399	Immigration	Requires individuals to verify their identity and lawful presence to access certain services
ITP	Initiative 1402	Marriage & Family	Requires that parents have roughly equal time with their children in court-ordered parenting arrangements
ITP	Federal Constitutional Amendment	Federal Con	Urges the legislature to propose a federal constitutional amendment regarding free speech
ITL	Wage-Setting Authority Initiative	Minimum wage	Grants sole minimum wage-setting authority to the state
LRCA	Initiative Funding Amendment	Direct democracy	Requires initiatives include proposals by which to fund themselves
VR	Referendum 76	Marijuana	Regulates the state's medical marijuana market and establishes a voluntary patient database

Historical facts

• Between 1995 and 2014, an average of five measures appeared on the ballot in Washington.
• In both 1997 and 2010, there were nine measures on statewide ballots.
• Between 1996 and 2014, 63 of 107, or 58.88 percent, of Washington ballot measures were approved.
• Conversely, 44 of 107, or 41.12 percent, of statewide measures were defeated between 1996 and 2014.

State profile

Demographic data for Washington
	Washington	U.S.
Total population:	7,160,290	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	66,456	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	77.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	3.6%	12.6%
Asian:	7.7%	5.1%
Native American:	1.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.6%	0.2%
Two or more:	5.2%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	12%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	90.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	32.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$61,062	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	14.4%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington

Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Washington, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Washington had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

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Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington 2015 Ballot Initiative. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Washington 2015 ballot measures - Google News

See also

• List of Washington ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Washington
• Washington signature requirements
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Washington

External links

• Washington Elections & Voting