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Washington Peace Officer Vehicular Pursuit Requirements Initiative (2023)
| Washington Peace Officer Vehicular Pursuit Requirements Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2023 | |
| Topic Law enforcement | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Peace Officer Vehicular Pursuit Requirements 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 would have reduced certain requirements for when a peace officer may engage in a vehicular pursuit.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for the initiative would have been as follows:[1]
| “ | Initiative Measure No. 1474 concerns vehicular pursuits by peace officers.
This measure would reduce certain restrictions on vehicular pursuits, allowing them upon certain conditions including reasonable suspicion of certain criminal offenses and necessity of identifying or apprehending people who pose public safety risks. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ] [2] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for the initiative would have been as follows:[1]
| “ | This measure would reduce certain restrictions on when peace officers may conduct vehicular pursuits. Such pursuits would be allowed when there is reasonable suspicion a person has violated certain laws, pursuit is necessary to identify or apprehend the person, the person poses a public safety risk, the safety risks of failing to apprehend or identify the person are greater than those of the pursuit, and pursuit is authorized by or reported to a supervisor. | ” |
Full text
The full text is available here.
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
- Michael McKee filed the initiative. Ballot language was issued for it on April 13, 2022.[1]
- Signatures for the initiative were not submitted before the deadline.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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