Washington 2017 ballot measures

2017 Washington Ballot Measures
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In 2017, three statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the Washington ballot on November 7, 2017.

HIGHLIGHTS

Due to Initiative 960, approved in 2007, three advisory questions for tax-related bills passed during the 2017 legislative session were referred to the ballot. A majority of voters voted in favor of repealing all three tax bills.

2017 was the first year since 1985 that no initiatives were certified to appear on the ballot.

On the ballot

See also: 2017 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
AQ	Advisory Vote 16	Taxes	Status of HB 1597, which increased commercial fishing fees	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 17	Taxes	Status of HB 2163, which made changes to sales and use tax and business and occupation tax	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 18	Taxes	Status of HB 2242, which increased the state property tax	d

Getting measures on the ballot

Citizens of Washington may initiate legislation as either a direct state statute - 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.

The last day to submit signatures for Initiatives to the Legislature was December 30, 2016. A total of 246,372 valid signatures were required to certify an Initiative to the Legislature. Petitioners for Initiatives to the Legislature filed 68 of them. The secretary of state's office reported that none of the petitioners submitted a sufficient number of signatures to have their measures make the ballot.

The first day to file petitions for Initiatives to the People was January 7, 2017. The attorney general's office stopped taking petitions for new Initiatives to the People on June 22, 2017. A total of 259,622 valid signatures were required to certify an Initiative to the People. The last day to submit signatures for Initiatives to the People was July 7, 2017.

A total of 129,811 valid signatures were required for any veto referendums filed in 2017.

The 2017 legislative session ran from January 9 through April 23, 2017, during which time the Washington State Legislature had the opportunity to place legislative referrals on the ballot.

Historical facts

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

• A total of 122 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Washington from 1995 to 2016.
• From 1995 to 2016, the number of measures on statewide ballots ranged from two to nine.
• Between 1995 and 2015, an average of five measures appeared on the ballot in Washington during odd-numbered election years.
• Between 1995 and 2015, about 61.40 percent (35 of 57) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during odd-numbered years were approved, and about 38.60 percent (22 of 57) were defeated.

Not on the ballot

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

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITL	Tax Increase Expiration Initiative	Taxes	Terminates certain tax increases
ITL	Ban on Red-Light Cameras Initiative	Transportation	Bans red-light ticketing cameras unless approved by voters
ITL	Size of Supreme Court Initiative	Judiciary	Reduces the size of the Washington Supreme Court from nine to five justices
ITL	Requirements for Nuclear Power Plants Initiative	Nuclear	Requires nuclear power plants to meet certain standards in order to operate
ITL	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Limits annual motor-vehicle license fees to $30 and prohibits ST3 from imposing a motor-vehicle excise tax
ITL	Property Tax Decrease Initiative	Taxes	Decreases property tax 25 percent and requires voter approval to increase it by more than one percent
ITL	Paycheck Deductions for Political Purposes Initiative	Paycheck	Prohibits deductions by employers from employee paychecks from being used for political purposes
ITL	Criminal Liability of Police in Cases of Deadly Force Initiative	Trials	Eliminates consideration of whether officers acted "without malice and with a good faith belief" in cases of deadly force
ITL	Voter Approval for Property Tax Increases Initiative	Taxes	Requires voters approval to increase property taxes by more than one percent
ITL	Inciting Violence Against a First Responder Initiative	Law Enforcement	Makes it a crime to incite violence against a first responder
ITL	Voter Approval of Tolls Initiative	Transportation	Requires certain new bridge and highway tolls be approved by voters
ITL	Child Visitation Rights of Relatives Initiative	Family	Allows relatives to petition courts for child visitation rights under certain circumstances
ITL	Marijuana Production and Sale in Residential Neighborhoods Initiative	Marijuana	Prohibits the production, processing, and sale of marijuana in residentially-zoned neighborhoods
ITL	Municipal Telecommunications Initiative	Local Gov't	Authorizes municipalities to offer telecommunications services if approved by voters
ITL	Manufacturers’ Sales of Motor Vehicles Initiative	Business	Authorizes manufacturers to sell motor vehicles directly to the public
ITL	Repeal Laws Adopted by Reference Initiative	Legislature	Repeals laws, codes, rules, and regulations adopted by reference
ITL	Home Production of Cannabis Initiative	Marijuana	Allows for limited home production of cannabis
ITL	Prohibit State and Local Capital Gains Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local capital gains taxes
ITL	Affirmative Action Ban for Businesses Initiative	Affirm. Action	Prohibits businesses from discriminating or grating preferential treatment
ITP	Prohibit State and Local Capital Gains Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local capital gains taxes
ITP	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Limits annual motor-vehicle license fees to $30 and prohibits ST3 from imposing a motor-vehicle excise tax
ITP	Voter Approval for Property Tax Increases Initiative	Taxes	Requires voters approval to increase property taxes by more than one percent
ITP	Tax Increase Expiration Initiative	Taxes	Terminates tax increases after one year unless a majority popular vote approved them
ITP	Affirmative Action Ban for Businesses Initiative	Affirm. Action	Prohibits businesses from discriminating or grating preferential treatment
ITP	Paycheck Deductions for Political Purposes Initiative	Paycheck	Prohibits deductions by employers from employee paychecks from being used for political purposes
ITP	Property Tax Decrease Initiative	Taxes	Decreases property tax 25 percent and requires voter approval to increase it by more than one percent
ITP	Tolls for Road Projects Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits tolls except to pay for specific related road projects
ITP	Private Facilities in Public Schools Restricted to Sex at Birth Initiative	LGBT	Restricts access to private facilities in public schools to individuals of the same sex at birth
ITP	Marijuana Production and Sale in Residential Neighborhoods Initiative	Marijuana	Prohibits the production, processing, and sale of marijuana in residentially-zoned neighborhoods
ITP	Marijuana Laws Initiative	Marijuana	Provides for home growing and sharing marijuana, makes underage possession and exceeding limits civil infractions, and allows for vacating misdemeanor convictions
ITP	True and Impartial Description Requirement for Ballot Titles and Summaries Initiative	Direct Democracy	Creates a requirement that initiative ballot titles and summaries are true and impartial
ITP	Employers to Check Lawful Presence to Employ Initiative	Business Reg	Requires employers to check an individual's lawful presence in the U.S. to employ individual
ITP	Lawful Presence to Receive Driver's License Initiative	Immigration	Prohibits Department of Licensing from issuing an identicard or driver's license to a nonresident alien
ITP	Proof of Citizenship for Voters and Candidates Initiative	Suffrage	Requires verification of U.S. citizenship to vote or run for elected office
ITP	Home Production of Cannabis Initiative	Marijuana	Allows for limited home production of cannabis
ITP	No Express Toll Lanes on Interstate 405 Initiative	Transportation	Replaces express toll lanes with other lanes on Interstate 405
ITP	Compliance with Federal Immigration Agency Initiative	Immigration	Suspends funds to state agencies that hinder a federal immigration agency in locating a person in the country illegally
ITP	Local Term Limits, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties and cities
ITP	State to Make Payments in Gold or Silver Coins Initiative	Admin of Gov't	Requires state to make and receive payments in the form of gold or silver coins
ITP	No Special Session Reimbursements Unless Budget Passed Initiative	State Leg	Provides that legislators not receive reimbursements during special sessions if the legislature did not pass a budget
ITP	Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Initiative	Energy	Requires rules and regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
ITP	Carbon Emissions Mitigation Fee Initiative	Taxes	Levies a fee on fossil fuels and electricity sold or used
ITP	Carbon Emissions Mitigation Tax Initiative	Taxes	Levies a tax on fossil fuels and electricity sold or used
ITP	Presidential Candidates to Release Tax Returns to Appear on State Ballot Initiative	Elections	Requires presidential candidates to release tax returns to appear on state ballot

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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See also

• 2017 ballot measures
• List of Washington ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Washington
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Washington

External links

• Washington Secretary of State - Initiatives & Referenda