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Washington Referendum 93, Cap-and-Trade Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measure (2021)
| Washington Referendum 93 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 2, 2021 | |
| Topic Environment and Energy | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Referendum | Origin Citizens |
Washington Referendum Measure 93 concerning Cap-and-Trade Greenhouse Gas Emissions was not on the ballot in Washington as a veto referendum on November 2, 2021.
Referendum 93 would have put Senate Bill 5126, passed by the Washington State Legislature during its 2021 session, on the statewide ballot in 2021 for voters to approve or reject. Senate Bill 5126 was designed to create a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions overseen by the Department of Ecology.[1]
Text of measure
The full text of the referendum is available here.
Background
Veto referendums in Washington
Since the first in 1914, Washington voters have decided 39 statewide veto referendum measures at the ballot.
A veto referendum is a type of citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal a law passed by the state legislature. Opponents of the law collect signatures for the veto referendum petition hoping that voters will repeal it at the ballot. The most recent veto referendum was on the ballot in Washington in 2020 In 79.5% of cases (31 of 39), the veto referendum resulted in the targeted bill being repealed. Conversely, 20.5% (eight of 39) of veto referendum measures resulted in the targeted law being upheld. In Washington, successful veto referendum petitions suspend the targeted law until the veto referendum is placed on the ballot and voted on in an election.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify a veto referendum for the ballot is equal to 4 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Signatures must be submitted 90 days following the adjournment of the legislative session during which the targeted bill was passed.
The requirements to get a veto referendum certified for the 2021 ballot:
- Signatures: 162,258 valid signatures
- Deadline: 90 days after the legislature adjourned (July 24, 2021)
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 for 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
- Senate Bill 5126 was approved by the Washington State Legislature during the regular 2021 session, which ended on April 25, 2021.[2]
- The adjournment date of the regular legislative session set the signature deadline for any veto referendum petitions as July 24, 2021.
- This referendum was submitted by Tim Eyman on April 27, 2021.[3]
- The measure was withdrawn on June 3, 2021.[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
|---|---|
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