Washington Referendum Measure 80, Salary Increases for Elected Officials Veto Referendum (2019)

Washington Referendum Measure 80, Salary Increases for Elected Officials Veto Referendum
Election date November 5, 2019
Topic Salaries of government officials
Status Not on the ballot
Type Referendum	Origin Citizens
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Washington Referendum Measure 80, the Salary Increases for Elected Officials Veto Referendum, was not on the ballot in Washington as a veto referendum on November 5, 2019.

On April 12, 2019, Tim Eyman announced that he would stop gathering signatures for the measure after it was declared invalid by the Washington Secretary of State's office. The referendum was declared invalid due to an error in which a modified salary schedule was filed by the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials on February 27, 2019. The modified schedule contained updated effective dates for the salary increases, thereby rendering the referendum invalid since the referendum referenced the previous effective dates of the salary increases.

Measure design

Referendum Measure 80 would have asked voters to approve or reject salary increases for state elected officials that were set by the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials (WCCSEO) on February 4, 2019. Once a salary schedule for state officials is filed with the secretary of state and adopted, neither the governor, the legislature, nor the commission can change or overturn it. Only the voters can overturn a salary schedule through the referendum process.

The WCCSEO raised salaries for the nine statewide executive branch officers, members of the state legislature, and state judges. The first raises were set to become effective on July 1, 2019, and another raise would become effective on July 1, 2020.

All positions were set to see base salary increases as well as salary increases of 2 percent in 2019 and 2020 for cost of living adjustments. The magnitude of the base salary raises varied by position. For example, legislative branch base salaries were set to increase by $3,000 and again in 2019 and 2020. The base salary for the judicial branch was set to increase by 8.5 percent in 2019 and 2.5 percent in 2020. The office of the governor, occupied by Jay Inslee (D), was set to see salary increases of around $5,000 in 2019 and again in 2020. For the executive branch position of superintendent of public instruction, the base salary was set to be increased by $8,950 in 2019 and by $7,140 in 2020. To view the salary increases set by the WCCSEO for 2019 and 2020, click here.

Referendum Measure 80, sponsored by Tim Eyman, sought to block the salary increases from taking effect.

Text of measure

The ballot title and summary prepared for Referendum Measure 80 was as follows:

Ballot title

Referendum 80 Ballot Title

“ Statement of Subject: The Washington Citizen's Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials passed Laws of 2019, ch. 5 concerning salaries of elected officials [and voters have filed a sufficient referendum petition on this act]. Concise Description: This act would increase the salaries of state elected officials effective September 1, 2019, and September 1, 2020, including the nine statewide executive branch officers, members of the state legislature, and state judges. Should this act be __ Approved __ Rejected ”

Ballot summary

Referendum 80 Ballot Summary

“ The Washington Citizen's Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials sets salaries for members of the legislature, elected officials of the executive branch of state government, and state judges, including the supreme court, court of appeals, superior courts, and district courts, subject to referendum petition. The Commission adopted salary increases to take effect on September 1, 2019, and September 1, 2020. The amounts of the new salaries are set forth in the text of the act. ”

Sponsor

Referendum Measure 80 was sponsored by Tim Eyman. Eyman's group, Permanent Offense/Voters Want More Choices, led the campaign in support of Referendum 80, seeking to repeal the salary increases.

Arguments

Tim Eyman wrote, "Politicians are asking for a 20% bonus from a commission of 'regular citizens' (one of them is actually the husband of a state supreme court justice!). It’s totally rigged. The good news is that regardless of how big a bonus they want to dole out, the constitution guarantees the people the absolute right to put those bonuses to a public vote through a referendum. Help us veto this massive pay-off scam."

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 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 2019 ballot:

• Signatures: 129,811 valid signatures

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

• Tim Eyman submitted the referendum petition on February 6, 2019. A ballot title and summary were issued for it on February 13, 2019.
• Eyman announced on Facebook that the signature drive began on February 22, 2019.
• Signatures would have been due for the measure by May 7, 2019.
• In early April, the Washington Secretary of State's office declared the referendum invalid "due to the invalid filing of the salary schedule."
• On April 12, 2019, Eyman announced that he would not continue gathering signatures for the measure after the Secretary of State's office said they would not accept the signatures gathered for the petition.

See also

2019 measures

• 2019 ballot measures
• Salaries of government officials on the ballot
• 2019 petition deadlines

Washington

• Washington ballot measures
• Washington initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Referendum Measure 80 ballot title letter