Washington Affirmative Action Ban Initiative (2020)
| Washington Affirmative Action Ban Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Affirmative action | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Affirmative Action Ban Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 3, 2020.
Tim Eyman proposed multiple versions of the initiative: #1031-1058. The initiatives concerned affirmative action, discrimination, and preferential treatment.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the different versions of the initiative can be found here.
Background
Washington Initiative 1000, Affirmative Action and Diversity Commission Measure
Initiative 1000 was designed to allow affirmative action without the use of quotas in the state of Washington. This means that characteristics such as race, sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status can be used as factors when considering a person for education or employment opportunities. I-1000 bans preferential treatment, meaning those characteristics could not be the sole or deciding factor when considering a person for education or employment opportunities. The measure was designed to create the Governor's Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the measure, and is required to issue an annual report on the progress of state agencies in achieving the measure's goal of "guaranteeing every resident of Washington state equal opportunity and access to public education, public employment."
The state legislature approved I-1000 largely along party lines with all votes in favor coming from Democratic legislators. I-1000 was approved in a vote of 56-42 in the House and 26-22 in the Senate. In the House, one Democrat, Brian Blake of District 19b, joined all House Republicans in voting no. Two Senate Democrats, Mark Mullet of District 5 and Tim Sheldon of District 35, joined the 20 Senate Republicans in voting no. Senator Guy Palumbo (D-1) was excused from voting.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirectly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the Legislature 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 indirect initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the regular session at which their proposal would be presented to lawmakers. Signatures must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 259,622 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was January 3, 2020.
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 to appear before the legislature. If the legislature does not approve the measure, it is certified to appear on 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
- Tim Eyman submitted multiple versions of the initiative.[1]
- Proponents did not submit signatures by the deadline.[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the 2020 Legislature," accessed May 1, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, telephone communication with the Washington Secretary of State's office, January 3, 2020
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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