Washington 2016 ballot measures

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Nine measures were certified to appear on the Washington ballot on November 8, 2016. Five measures were approved, and four were defeated.

HIGHLIGHTS

A total of nine ballot measures; one legislative referral, two advisory questions, and six initiatives, appeared on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Washington. Issues on the ballot included taxes, federal constitutional issues, minimum wage, and firearms.

Initiative 732 would have imposed the nation's first tax on carbon emissions. It was defeated.

Initiative 1433 was designed to increase the state minimum wage to $13.50. It was approved.

Initiative 1491 was designed authorize courts to issue orders to remove an individual from access to firearms. It was approved.

Initiative 732 would have imposed a carbon emission tax on certain fossil fuels and fossil-fuel-generated electricity. The measure was defeated.

Initiative 735 urged a federal constitutional amendment that limits constitutional rights to people, not corporations. The measure was approved.

Initiative 1433 was designed to increase the state minimum wage to $13.50 by 2020. It was approved.

Initiative 1464 would have created a campaign-finance system allowing residents to direct state funds to qualifying candidates, repealed the non-resident sales-tax exemption, restricted employment of former public employees and lobbying, and revised campaign-finance laws. The measure was defeated.

Initiative 1491 authorized courts to issue extreme risk protection orders to remove an individual from access to firearms. The measure was approved

Initiative 1501 increased criminal identity-theft penalties and expand civil liability for consumer fraud targeting seniors and vulnerable individuals. It exempted certain information regarding vulnerable individuals and in-home caregivers from public disclosure. The measure was approved.

Supporters of Initiative 1520 submitted signatures by the July 8, 2016, deadline, but the measure failed to qualify for the ballot.

Two advisory questions were on the November ballot, as well. Advisory Vote 14 asked voters whether to repeal or maintain a tax on certain dental plans whose premiums are $25 to $50 per member per month, and Advisory Vote 15 asked voters whether to repeal or maintain a sales tax exemption on the first $32,000 of the purchase price of qualifying new alternative fuel vehicles.

A legislatively referred constitutional amendment was also on the ballot. SJR 8210 was designed to move the deadline for the completion of redistricting for state legislative and congressional districts from January 1 of each year ending in a two, to November 15 of each year ending in a one. The measure was approved.

Citizens of Washington may initiate legislation as either a direct—called Initiative to the People (ITP) in Washington—or indirect state statute—called Initiative to the Legislature (ITL) in Washington. In Washington, citizens also have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendum. Citizens may not initiate constitutional amendments. The Washington State Legislature, however, may place legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the ballot with a two-thirds (66.67%) vote of each chamber.

At least 265 initiatives were filed for potential spots on the 2016 ballot. These included both Initiatives to the Legislature (ITL) and Initiatives to the People (ITP). In order to land initiatives on the ballot in 2016, supporters needed submit the requisite number of signatures by the prescribed deadlines. For ITLs, the deadline was December 31, 2015. For veto referendums the deadline was June 8, 2016. For ITPs, the deadline was July 8, 2016. At least 246,372 valid signatures were required to place an ITP or an ITL on the ballot, while at least 123,186 signatures were required for referendums.

The 2016 legislative session ran from January 11 through March 10, 2016, during which time the Washington State Legislature had the opportunity to place legislative referrals on the ballot.

Historical facts

See also: History of Initiative & Referendum in Washington and List of Washington ballot measures

• A total of 113 measures appeared on statewide ballots from 1995 to 2015.
• Between 1995 and 2015, an average of five measures appeared on the ballot during even- and odd-numbered election years in Washington.
• The number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots from 1996 to 2015 ranged from two to nine.
• Between 1995 and 2015, 59.29 percent (67 of 113) of statewide ballots were approved by voters, and about 40.71 percent (46 of 113) were defeated.
• Five measures, or four percent of the measures that were approved from 1995 to 2015, were approved by voters but subsequently overturned by the courts.

On the ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITL	Initiative 732	Taxes	Carbon emission tax	d
ITL	Initiative 735	Federal	Rights of corporations	a
ITP	Initiative 1433	Minimum wage	Increase the state minimum wage to $13.50 by 2020	a
ITP	Initiative 1464	Admin of gov't	New campaign finance laws and regulations	d
ITP	Initiative 1491	Firearms	Risk protection orders regarding firearms access	a
ITP	Initiative 1501	Trials	Increase criminal identity theft penalties	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 14	Taxes	Status of taxes on certain dental plans	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 15	Taxes	Sales taxes on alternative fuel vehicles	d
LRCA	SJR 8210	Redistricting	Requirements placed on state redistricting commission	a

Cost per required signatures

See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2016

The cost per required signatures (CPRS) is a comparison of the amount of money spent on the petition drive to the number of signatures the state requires for an initiative to make the ballot. Of the six initiatives on the ballot, the CPRS was the highest for Initiative 1464 and the lowest for Initiative 735.

Not on the ballot

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

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITL	Protect the Initiative Act	Direct democracy	Gives petitioners 20 months to gather signatures for an initiative, along with several other changes to the initiative process
ITL	Cannabis Commission Initiative	Marijuana	Creates a government recreational cannabis agency and eliminates certain crimes and civil forfeiture
ITL	Employee Rights Initiative	Labor and unions	Prohibits employers from conditioning employment based on whether or not someone joins a union
ITL	Marijuana Decriminalization and Tax Limitation Initiative	Marijuana	Prohibits fees, taxes or licenses on certain possession, cultivation and not-for-profit marijuana transfers, and decriminalizes certain offenses
ITL	"Property Tax Fairness" Initiative	Taxes	Reduces regular property tax levies by 25 percent of the total otherwise allowed per year
ITL	Property Tax Growth Limit Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits property taxing districts from surpassing the 1 percent growth limit on levies unless approved in a general election by at least 60 percent of voters
ITL	Defense to Assault Charges Initiative	Law enforcement	Gives defense to assault charges pressed against someone for slapping another person who touched them
ITL	Vehicle Registration Fee Limit Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits annual vehicle registration fees from exceeding $30
ITL	Automatic Ticketing Camera Initiative	Law enforcement	Bans and require the removal of existing automatic ticketing cameras unless approved by voters of the jurisdiction where the cameras would be used
ITL	Toll Restrictions Initiative	Transportation	Requires that new highway or bridge tolls be voter approved and require that tolls be used for "highway purposes"
ITL	Hemp Product Tax Repeal Initiative	Marijuana	Repeals the marijuana excise tax, which includes a 37 percent tax retail sales of marijuana concentrates, marijuana-infused products, and useable marijuana
ITL	Paid Vacation Initiative	Labor and unions	Requires full-time and part-time employees be given paid vacation and outlines minimum requirements for leave usage, leave accrual and record-keeping practices
ITL	Checkout Bag Tax Ban Initiative	Taxes	Bans taxes on checkout bags, including paper, plastic or reusable bags given to customers at the point of sale
ITL	Ban on Increasing Sales Tax Rates Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local governments from increasing the sales and use tax
ITL	Minimum Wage Initiative	Minimum wage	Increases the state minimum wage to $13.50 by 2020
ITP	Cap and Trade Initiative	Environment	Establishes a cap and trade system for greenhouse gas emissions
ITP	Bathroom Restricted to Biological Sex Initiative	LGBT issues	Repeals protections against gender-identity discrimination in certain public-accommodation facilities, require that public schools restrict access to specific facilities based on anatomical or chromosomal sex, and allow related lawsuits against schools
ITP	State Cannabis Patient Reform Act	Marijuana	Creates boards to regulate cannabis production and sales
ITP	Protect the Initiative Act	Direct democracy	Gives petitioners 20 months to gather signatures for an initiative, along with several other changes to the initiative process
ITP	Vehicle Registration Fee Limit Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits annual vehicle registration fees from exceeding $30
ITP	Autonomy from Federal Marijuana Regulations Act	Marijuana	Removes certain cannabis-related activities from application of the controlled substances act
ITP	Ban on Increasing Sales Tax Rates Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local governments from increasing the sales and use tax
ITP	Property Tax Growth Limit Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits property taxing districts from surpassing the 1 percent growth limit on levies unless approved in a general election by at least 60 percent of voters
ITP	Faculty Firearm Initiative	Firearms	Allows teachers and faculty with conceal and carry permits to carry hand guns on campus
ITP	Taxpayer Protection Act	Taxes	Limits tax increases to one year unless approved by voters
ITP	Visitation Rights Initiative	Marriage and family	Provides that a non-parent relative may petition a court for child visitation rights under certain circumstances
ITP	Marijuana Prohibition Initiative	Marijuana	Prohibits the production, processing and sale of cannabis in residentially zoned neighborhoods
ITP	Automatic Ticketing Camera Initiative	Law enforcement	Bans and require the removal of existing automatic ticketing cameras unless approved by voters of the jurisdiction where the cameras would be used
ITP	Toll Restrictions Initiative	Transportation	Requires that new highway or bridge tolls be voter approved and require that tolls be used for "highway purposes"
ITP	Supreme Court Size Reduction Initiative	State judiciary	Reduces the number of state supreme court justices from nine to five
ITP	Highway Administration Initiative	Transportation	Creates a policy framework for the selection, procurement, financing and management of roads
ITP	Bodily Sovereignty Initiative	Law enforcement	Protects individuals from unlawful extraction of blood or other biological material without consent
ITP	Food Labeling Initiative	Food and agriculture	Requires labeling on all food products containing genetically modified ingredients
ITP	"Property Tax Fairness" Initiative (ITP)	Taxes	Limits annual property tax increases to one percent unless approved by voters, terminate 2016 levies that increased by more than one percent, and eliminate property taxes on some personal property
ITP	Tax and Fee Expiration After One Year Initiative (ITP)	Taxes	Requires that after January 1, 2016, tax and fee increases must expire one year after taking effect unless approved by a simple majority vote of the people at an election
ITP	Single Payer Healthcare Initiative	Healthcare	Establishes a single-payer health care system in the state of Washington
ITP	Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption Initiative	Taxes	Exempts individuals 65 years and older from property taxation
ITP	Common Core Removal Initiative	Education	Removes a section of a 2013 law that authorizes the superintendent of public instruction to adopt common core standards in the state
ITP	Personal Privacy Initiative	Government accountability	Regulates access to public records that contain individuals' names or private information
ITP	Horse Meat Initiative	Food and agriculture	Prohibits processing, transporting, selling, or buying horse meant for human consumption
ITP	Petitioning Industry Accountability Initiative	Elections and campaigns	Taxes businesses that compensate signature-gatherers for initiatives
ITP	Expenditure Expiration Initiative	Government accountability	Requires state expenditure programs over $1 million to expire automatically after 10 years unless reauthorized by the legislature
ITP	Marijuana Tax Revenue for Education Initiative	Taxes	Expresses the intent to devote all tax revenue from marijuana sales to fund state-supported education
ITP	Immigration Status Verification Initiative	Immigration	Requires documentation of immigration status for employment and other public benefits
ITP	Motion Picture Competitiveness Tax Credit Increase Initiative	Taxes	Increases the amount of tax credit an individual can claim under the motion picture competitiveness program from $1 million to $4 million

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.

More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Washington
• United States congressional delegations from Washington
• Public policy in Washington
• Endorsers in Washington
• Washington fact checks
• More...

See also

• 2016 ballot measures
• List of Washington ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Washington
• Washington signature requirements
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Washington

External links

• Washington Secretary of State - Initiatives & Referenda