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Washington Additions to Freedom from Discrimination Law Initiative (2021)
| Additions to Freedom from Discrimination Law Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 2, 2021 | |
| Topic Constitutional rights and Firearms | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Additions to Freedom from Discrimination Law Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 2, 2021.
This initiative would have added the right to be free from discrimination due to political affiliation or gun ownership to the state's Freedom from discrimination— Declaration of civil rights law (Revised Code of Washington 49.60.030). The initiative would have allowed an individual who believes their rights have been violated to sue for an injunction order from a court, actual damages, or punitive damages of up to $100,000.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this initiative would have been as follows:[1]
| “ |
Initiative Measure No. 1799 concerns discrimination. This measure would broaden existing state civil rights law to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation or gun ownership. It would authorize up to $100,000 in punitive damages for civil rights violations. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ] [2] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this initiative would have been as follows:[1]
| “ |
This measure would add the right to be free from discrimination because of political affiliation or gun ownership to the civil rights currently listed in RCW 49.60.030, and allow a person who believes that right has been violated to sue for an injunction, actual damages, punitive damages of up to $100,000, and other remedies. Punitive damages up to $100,000 also would be available in lawsuits alleging violations of other civil rights listed in RCW 49.60.030. [2] |
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Full text
The full text may be found here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify a directly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the People in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for direct initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the general election at which their proposal would be presented to voters. Signatures must be submitted at least four months prior to the general election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the People certified for the 2021 ballot:
- Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 2, 2021.
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified for the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
- Charles Eakins filed the initiative on January 19, 2021.[1]
- No signatures were submitted by the deadline on July 2, 2021.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
