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
List of Washington measuresWashington Referendum 90Washington Senate Joint Resolution 8212Washington Advisory Vote 32Washington Advisory Vote 33Washington Advisory Vote 34Washington Advisory Vote 35Submit

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.

Text of measure

Full text

The full text of the different versions of the initiative can be found here.

Background

See also: Washington Initiative 1000, Affirmative Action and Diversity Commission Measure (2019)

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

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Washington

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.
• Proponents did not submit signatures by the deadline.

See also

2020 measures

• 2020 ballot measures
• Affirmative action on the ballot

Washington

• Washington ballot measures
• Washington ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls