Washington True and Impartial Description Requirement for Ballot Titles and Summaries Initiative (2017)

Washington True and Impartial Description Requirement for Ballot Titles and Summaries Initiative
Election date November 7, 2017
Topic Direct democracy measures
Status Not on the ballot
Type State statute	Origin Citizens

The Washington True and Impartial Description Requirement for Ballot Titles and Summaries Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 7, 2017.

The measure would have created a requirement that ballot titles and summaries for initiatives and veto referendums be written as true and impartial. The measure would have shortened the number of days the state attorney general has to write a ballot title and summary from five days to four days.

The initiative would have required an independent review of ballot titles issued since 2010 containing the word marijuana.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was:

“

Initiative Measure No. 1562 concerns ballot titles and summaries for initiatives and referenda. This measure would change requirements for drafting ballot titles and summaries, including a review process, a review board for past marijuana-related titles, and stating that drafting inconsistent titles constitutes treason or subversive activities. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was:

“

This measure would change requirements for ballot titles, including shortening the time for the Attorney General to prepare titles and requiring summaries to be true and impartial. It would require the Secretary of State to review ballot titles and appeal any that are inconsistent with statutory requirements. It states that identifiable patterns of inconsistent ballot title filings by Assistant Attorneys General constitute treason or subversive activities and establishes a review board for past marijuana-related titles.

”

Full text

The measure would have amended state statute. The underlined text would have been added and the struck-through text would have been deleted:

RCW 29A.72.060 Within five four days after the receipt of an initiative or referendum the attorney general shall formulate the ballot title, or portion of the ballot title that the legislature has not provided, required by RCW 29A.72.050 and a summary of the measure that is a true and impartial description of the measure's essential contents, clearly identifing the proposition to be voted on, and not, to the extent reasonably possible, create prejudice either for or against the measure, not to exceed seventy-five words, and transmit the serial number for the measure, complete ballot title, and summary to the secretary of state. Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays are not counted in calculating the time limits in this section. RCW 29A.72.080 Upon the Within 24 hours of the filing of the ballot title and summary for a state initiative or referendum measure in the office of secretary of state, the secretary of state shall review for consistency the following four elements from the attorney general's filing: (1) The statement pursuant to RCW 29A.72.060; (2) the statement of the subject; (3) the concise description; and (4) the ballot measure summary. The secretary of state shall also review the statement of the subject for compliance with the requirement in RCW 29A.72.050 that the statement be sufficiently precise to give notice of the measure's subject matter. In the event these statements are not consistent or the statement of the subject is not sufficiently precise, the secretary of state shall appeal to the superior court of Thurston county as described in RCW 29A.72.080 and shall notify the sponsor and all interested parties of their right to submit a brief. For all measures not automatically appealed, the secretary of state shall notify by telephone and by mail, and, if requested, by other electronic means, the person proposing the measure, the prime sponsor of a referendum bill or alternative to an initiative to the legislature, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the secretary of the senate, and any other individuals who have made written request for such notification of the exact language of the ballot title and summary. New Section to 29a.72 (1) An identifiable pattern of inconsistent ballot title and summary filings under RCW 29A.72.060 by a single assistant attorney general or a group of assistant attorneys general relating to a particular subject constitutes subversive activities and a violation of RCW 9.81.020. (2) An identifiable pattern of inconsistent ballot title and summary filings under RCW 29A.72.060 by a single assistant attorney general or a group of assistant attorneys general that can be demonstrated as enabling a copycat campaign constitutes treason and a violation of RCW 9.82.010. New Section to 29a.72 An independent review of ballot title and summary filings under RCW 29A.72.060 since 2010 that contain the word "marijuana" must be complete by January 1, 2018. The review shall be completed by a review board consisting of no more than fifteen members. The review board must include one representative from each sponsor of a marijuana initiative campaign if the sponsor chooses to participate and exactly one representative from the attorney general's office.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Washington

In Washington, the signature requirement for Initiatives to the People is equivalent to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election.

To make the 2017 ballot, proponents of Initiatives to the People were required to submit at least 259,622 valid signatures by July 7, 2017. No signatures were turned in for the initiative by the deadline.

See also

Suggest a link

• 2017 ballot measures
• Washington 2017 ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Washington