Washington Felony Possession of Controlled Substances Initiative (2023)
| Washington Felony Possession of Controlled Substances Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2023 | |
| Topic Law enforcement and Drug crime policy | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Felony Possession of Controlled Substances Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 7, 2023.
This initiative was designed to change the knowing possession of controlled substances from a misdemeanor to a class C felony and make other changes.[1]
Text of measure
The sponsor filed multiple versions of the initiative. Ballot language and full texts for the different versions may be found here.[1]
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 2023 ballot:
- Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures
- Deadline: December 30, 2022
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
- Joel Ard filed the initiative. Ard confirmed to Ballotpedia on July 20, 2022, that he would not be collecting signatures for the initiatives he filed.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the 2023 Legislature," accessed July 11, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia Staff, email communication with Joel Ard, July 20, 2022
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