Washington Minimum Wage Initiative (ITL) (2016)
| Washington Minimum Wage Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Statute |
| Origin | Citizens |
| Topic | Minimum wage |
| Status | Not on the ballot |
| Not on Ballot |
|---|
 |
| This measure was not put on an election ballot |
The Minimum Wage Initiative was an initiated state statute proposed for the Washington ballot on November 8, 2016. Signatures were not filed by December 31, 2015, and the initiative did not appear on the ballot.
The measure would have increased the state's current minimum wage at $9.47 per hour by 50 cent increments until it reached $13.50 in 2020. Specifically, the increments would have increased by the following:[1]
- $11 by 2017
- $11.50 by 2018
- $12 by 2019
- $13.50 by 2020
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the measure can be found here.
Support
The campaign leading support for the initiative was Raise Up Washington.[2]
Supporters
- Governor Jay Inslee (D)[3]
Arguments in favor
Ariana Davis, a grocery worker from Washington who filed the initiative, argued:[4]
| “ | Workers like me deserve to be able to earn a decent wage, I can't tell you how frustrating it is to work countless long demanding hours at a job and still not be able to afford basic necessities in life such as food gas and rent.[5] | ” |
Gov. Jay Inslee said,[3]
| “ | If you work 40 hours a week, you deserve a wage that puts a roof over your head and food on the table. Period. And you shouldn’t have to give up a day’s pay if you or your kids get sick.[5] | ” |
Opposition
Arguments against
The Association of Washington Business issued the following statement:[2]
| “ | We believe the Legislature is better position to address the important issue by working with small businesses to ensure they aren't disproportionately harmed by a minimum wage that could make it harder for them to grow and hire more workers.[5] | ” |
Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-9) said raising the minimum wage would be a burden in some parts of the state and on small businesses. He argued:[4]
| “ | If you're in counties that have persistently high unemployment rates, it's not so rosy.[5] | ” |
Path to the ballot
Supporters were required to submit at least 246,372 valid signatures. If certified, initiatives to the legislature would have been sent to the state House and Senate for consideration. The Legislature would have chosen whether to enact the measure, send it to the 2016 ballot alone, or send it to the ballot alongside an alternative proposition.
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.[6]
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.
More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Washington
- United States congressional delegations from Washington
- Public policy in Washington
- Endorsers in Washington
- Washington fact checks
- More...
See also
- Washington 2016 ballot measures
- 2016 ballot measures
- Washington Legislature
- List of Washington ballot measures
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "FAIR LABOR STANDARDS INITIATIVE ," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 King 5, "New initiative filed to raise state minimum wage to $13.50," January 12, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Northwest Public Radio, "Wash. Gov Endorses Minimum Wage Initiative In State Of State Speech," January 12, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Associated Press, "New ballot measure effort in Washington seeks to raise the state's minimum wage to $13.50 over 4 years," January 11, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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