Washington 2018 ballot measures

2018 Washington Ballot Measures
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2018 U.S. state ballot measures
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Five statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the Washington ballot on November 6, 2018. Three were approved and two were defeated.

HIGHLIGHTS

One initiative to the legislature was on the ballot: Initiative 940, a measure concerning police training, use of deadly force, and the prosecution of police officers. The legislature approved the initiative, thereby precluding an election on it, and immediately amended it according to negotiations with certain law enforcement agencies and the initiative's sponsors. That move was struck down as unconstitutional on August 28, 2018, and the measure was ordered to be on the November ballot. It was approved.

Three Initiatives to the People, a type of citizen initiative were certified for the November 2018 ballot. Initiative #1631, which would have established a carbon fee, was defeated.

Two citizen-initiated measures were approved. Initiative #1634 banned taxes on groceries, and Initiative #1639 implemented restrictions on the purchasing and ownership of firearms.

One advisory question was on the ballot and was rejected. Rejection of Advisory Vote 19 repealed Senate Bill 6269, which would have expanded the oil spill response tax to apply to pipelines.

On the ballot

Type	Number	Subject	Description	Result
ITL	Initiative 940	Law Enforcement	Requires specific trainings for law enforcement and changes the standards for use of deadly force	a
ITP	Initiative 1631	Taxes and Environment	Establishes a carbon fee and funds environmental programs	d
ITP	Initiative 1634	Food and agriculture and Taxes	Prohibits local governments from enacting taxes on groceries	a
ITP	Initiative 1639	Firearms	Implements changes to gun ownership and purchase requirements	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 19	Taxes and Energy	Advises legislature to either repeal or maintain Senate Bill 6269 which expanded the oil spill response tax to apply to pipelines	d

Getting measures on the ballot

Citizens of Washington may initiate legislation as either a direct state statute - called Initiative to the People (ITP) in Washington - or indirect state statute - called Initiative to the Legislature (ITL) in Washington. In Washington, citizens also have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendum. Citizens may not initiate constitutional amendments. The Washington State Legislature, however, may place legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the ballot with a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber.

The last day to submit signatures for Initiatives to the Legislature was December 29, 2017. A total of 259,622 valid signatures were required to certify an Initiative to the Legislature. Petitioners filed 77 Initiatives to the Legislature.

The first day to file petitions for Initiatives to the People was January 6, 2018. A total of 259,622 valid signatures were required to certify an Initiative to the People. The last day to submit signatures for Initiatives to the People was July 6, 2018.

A total of 129,811 valid signatures would have been required for any veto referendums filed in 2017. For referendums, signatures must be filed with the secretary of state within 90 days after the adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted legislation was passed.

The 2018 legislative session ran from January 8 through March 8, 2018, during which time the Washington State Legislature had the opportunity to place legislative referrals on the ballot.

Summary of campaign contributions

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2018

The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees had amassed in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:

Note: In some cases committees were registered to support or oppose multiple propositions. Ballotpedia lists the total sum that all committees registered to support or oppose each proposition have received in contributions. This means that the sum of all contributions in the chart below is higher than the total amount contributed.

Ballot Measure:	Support contributions:	Opposition contributions:	Outcome:
Washington Initiative 940	$3,291,215.61	$288,720.57	a
Washington Advisory vote 19	$0.00	$0.00	d

Cost per required signature

See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2018

The cost-per-required signature (CPRS) is a comparison of the amount of money spent on the petition drive to the number of signatures the state requires for an initiative to make the ballot. The following chart illustrates the CPRS for ballot initiatives.

A total of $8.4 million was spent on the four successful initiative petition drives in 2018.

Ballot Measure:	Topic:	Petition company	Cost	Signatures	CPRS
Washington Initiative 940	Law enforcement	PCI Consultants and various individuals	$1,024,704.92	259,622	$3.95
Averages:	N/A	AAP Holding Company	$2,098,290	N/A	$8.08

Not on the ballot

See also: Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

The list below contains measures that were proposed and reached a certain stage in the initiative or referral process, but did not make the ballot.

Type	Number	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITL	Initiative 892	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 893	Dedication of Toll Revenue Initiative	Budget	Requires revenue from tolls to be dedicated to project-specific highway purposes
ITL	Initiative 894	Affirmative Action Ban for Businesses Initiative	Affirm Action	Bans businesses from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment based on group
ITL	Initiative 895	Public Vote on Tax Increases Initiative	Direct Democracy	Requires tax increases to expire unless approved by public vote
ITL	Initiative 896	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 897	Prohibit Interstate 405 Toll Lanes Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits toll lanes on Interstate 405
ITL	Initiative 898	Public Vote on Tax Increases Initiative	Direct Democracy	Requires tax increases to expire unless approved by two-thirds legislative or public vote
ITL	Initiative 899	Prohibit Interstate 405 Toll Lanes Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits toll lanes on Interstate 405
ITL	Initiative 900	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 901	Prohibit Paycheck Deductions for Political Purposes Initiative	Paycheck	Prohibits paycheck deductions for political purposes
ITL	Initiative 902	Automatic Voter Registration Initiative	Suffrage	Establishes a system of automatic voter registration
ITL	Initiative 903	Marijuana Laws Initiative	Marijuana	Changes to laws governing marijuana consumption and law enforcement
ITL	Initiative 904	Operation of Nuclear Power Plants Initiative	Nuclear	Prohibits operation of nuclear power plants until certain criteria met
ITL	Initiative 905	Marijuana Laws Initiative	Marijuana	Changes to laws governing marijuana consumption and law enforcement
ITL	Initiative 906	Compliance with Federal Immigration Agency Initiative	Immigration	Suspends state funds to municipalities obstructing federal immigration efforts
ITL	Initiative 907	Public Resources to Collect Funds for Political Purposes Initiative	Admin of Gov't	Prohibits use of public resources to collect funds for political purposes
ITL	Initiative 908	Dedication of Toll Revenue Initiative	Budget	Requires revenue from tolls to be dedicated to project-specific highway purposes
ITL	Initiative 909	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 910	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 911	Marijuana Laws Initiative	Marijuana	Changes to laws governing marijuana consumption and law enforcement
ITL	Initiative 912	Presidential Candidates Tax Returns Initiative	Elections	Requires presidential candidates to release tax returns to appear on state ballot
ITL	Initiative 913	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 914	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 915	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 916	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 917	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 918	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 919	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 920	Compliance with Federal Immigration Agency Initiative	Immigration	Suspends state funds to municipalities obstructing federal immigration efforts
ITL	Initiative 921	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 922	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 923	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 924	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 925	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 926	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 927	Local Term Limits Initiative	Local Gov't	Creates term limits for local governments
ITL	Initiative 928	Local Term Limits Initiative	Local Gov't	Creates term limits for local governments
ITL	Initiative 929	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 930	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 931	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 932	Local Term Limits Initiative	Local Gov't	Creates term limits for local governments
ITL	Initiative 933	Local Term Limits Initiative	Local Gov't	Creates term limits for local governments
ITL	Initiative 934	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 935	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 936	Local Term Limits Initiative	Local Gov't	Creates term limits for local governments
ITL	Initiative 937	Local Terms, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative	Local Gov't	Mandates district elections, term limits, and council sizes for counties, cities, and RTAs
ITL	Initiative 938	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 939	Police Training and Criminal Liability in Deadly Force Initiative	Law Enforcement	Requires police training and changes criminal liability in cases of deadly force
ITL	Initiative 941	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 942	Police Training and Criminal Liability in Deadly Force Initiative	Law Enforcement	Requires police training and changes criminal liability in cases of deadly force
ITL	Initiative 943	Police Training and Criminal Liability in Deadly Force Initiative	Law Enforcement	Requires police training and changes criminal liability in cases of deadly force
ITL	Initiative 944	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 945	Health Security Trust Initiative	Healthcare	Creates a Health Security Trust to finance healthcare for state residents
ITL	Initiative 946	Regional Transit Authorities' Taxation Powers Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits RTAs from imposing property taxes and motor vehicle excise taxes
ITL	Initiative 947	Motor Vehicle License Fees Initiative	Taxes	Sets annual license fees for certain motor vehicles at $30
ITL	Initiative 948	Regional Transit Authorities' Taxation Powers Initiative	Transportation	Prohibits RTAs from imposing property taxes and motor vehicle excise taxes
ITL	Initiative 949	Affirmative Action Ban for Government Initiative	Affirm Action	Bans government from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment based on group
ITL	Initiative 950	Taxing Powers of RTAs Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits RTAs from levying property taxes and vehicle excise taxes
ITL	Initiative 951	Taxing Powers of RTAs Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits RTAs from levying property taxes and vehicle excise taxes
ITL	Initiative 952	Health Security Trust Initiative	Healthcare	Creates a Health Security Trust to finance healthcare for state residents
ITL	Initiative 953	Rename Evergreen State College Initiative	Education	Renames Evergreen College as Evergreen State Social Justice Warrior PC Indoctrination Compound
ITL	Initiative 954	Ban Sales Tax on Groceries Initiative	Taxes	Bans a sales tax on groceries
ITL	Initiative 955	Marijuana Production and Sale in Residential Areas Initiative	Marijuana	Prohibits marijuana production and sale in residential areas
ITL	Initiative 956	Marijuana Production and Sale in Residential Areas Initiative	Marijuana	Prohibits marijuana production and sale in residential areas
ITL	Initiative 957	Washington Prohibition on Fees for Placement or Removal of Credit Freezes Initiative	Business regulation	Prohibits credit reporting agencies from charging fees for the placement, lifting, or removal of credit freezes
ITL	Initiative 958	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 959	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 960	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
ITL	Initiative 961	Public Vote on Tax Increases Initiative	Direct Democracy	Requires tax increases to expire unless approved by public vote
ITL	Initiative 962	Prohibit Income and Capital Gains Income Taxes Initiative	Taxes	Prohibits state and local income and capital gains income taxes
VR	Veto referendum 78, 79	Atlantic Salmon Net-Pen Farming Ban Veto Referendum	Environment and Business regulation	Veto referendum targeting the repeal of an Atlantic salmon net-pen farming ban
ITP	Initiative 1636	Amendment to the Tax Code	Taxes	Requires the state legislature to ensure that households earning more than $600,000 per year pay at least the same percentage of income in taxes as lower-income households
LRCA	SJR 8211	Allow the Legislature to Fill Public Office Vacances due to Catastrophies	Administration of government	Allows the state legislature to fill public office vacancies due to catastrophies

Below are measures that did not secure a place on the ballot because proponents did not submit signatures before the July 6, 2018, signature deadline

Type	Number	Subject	Title	Sponsor	Result
ITP	Initiative 1577, 1578, 1596, 1609, 1617, 1627	Taxes and Direct democracy	Public Vote on Tax Increases	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1579	Taxes and Direct democracy	Motor Vehicle Fund and Toll Revenue Dedicated to Transportation Lockbox	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1580, 1581	Taxes	Prohibit Income Taxes	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1582, 1583, 1593, 1594	Campaign finance and Accountability	Prohibit Use of Public Resources or Paycheck Deductions to Collect Political Contributions	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1584, 1592, 1628, 1629	Government accountability	Communications and Documents of Legislators Available as Public Records	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1585, 1591, 1610, 1618, 1626, 1630	Taxes	Limits on Motor Vehicle License Fees and Taxes	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1586, 1595	Minimum wage	$15 Minimum wage by 2025	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1587	Taxes	Repeal Excise Taxes	Kyle Stokle
ITP	Initiative 1588	Food and agriculture	Unrestricted and Tax Free Requirement for Any Plant, Fungi, or Cacti	Kyle Stokle
ITP	Initiative 1589	Direct democracy	Veto Referendum Petition Signature Requirement Reduction and Legislative Alteration Restrictions	Kyle Stokle
ITP	Initiative 1590, 1604	Taxes and Minimum wage	Repeal Excise Taxes and Reduce Minimum Wage	Kyle Stokle
ITP	Initiative 1597	Judges and lawyers	Repeal the State Bar Act	Shelby Barchasch
ITP	Initiative 1598	Law enforcement	Public Notice, Prohibited Activity, Sentencing, and Death Penalty Requirements for Sex Crimes	Kyle Cope
ITP	Initiative 1599	Forests and parks	Free Parking and Entry to State Land without Access Passes	Corey Gibson
ITP	Initiative 1600	Healthcare	Universal Healthcare Coverage and Funding through Payroll, Income, and Capital Gains Taxes	Erin Georgen
ITP	Initiative 1601, 1602	Taxes and Environment	Prevent State or Local Carbon Taxes	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1603	Marijuana	Marijuana Provisions Related to Non-Commercial Growth and Use, Employment Policies, Law Enforcement, and Legal Language	Kirk Ludden
ITP	Initiative 1607, 1619	Term limits	Term Limits for Local Officials	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1608	Unions and Accountability	Public Employer Collective Bargaining Sessions Open to Public	Craig Williamson
ITP	Initiative 1611-1616	Taxes	High-Income Households to Pay At Least the Same Percentage of Income in Taxes as Low and Middle Income Earners	Carolyn Holmes
ITP	Initiative 1621	Firearms	Concealed-Carry Firearms Allowed at Schools	Tyler Miller
ITP	Initiative 1625, 1638	Taxes	Prohibit Taxes on Employee-Hours	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1632	Hunting and fishing and Administration of government	Majority Rule for Selection of Fish and Wildlife Commissioners	Kenneth Morrow
ITP	Initiative 1633	Marijuana	Prohibit Marijuana Cultivation, Processing, and Sales in Residential Zones	Regis Costello
ITP	Initiative 1635	Food and agriculture and Taxes	Taxes on Groceries	Tim Eyman
ITP	Initiative 1637	Firearms	Age Requirements for Purchasing a Firearm	Matt Mentele
ITP	Initiative 1640	Marijuana	Restrictions on Marijuana in Residential Zones	Regis Costello
ITP	Initiative 1644	Affirmative action	Affirmative Action and Diversity Commission	Estella Ortega

Historical facts

See also: List of Washington ballot measures and History of Initiative & Referendum in Washington

• A total of 125 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Washington from 1995 to 2017.
• From 1995 to 2017, the number of measures on statewide ballots ranged from two to nine.
• Between 1995 and 2017, an average of six measures appeared on the ballot in Washington during even-numbered years.
• Between 1995 and 2017, about 57.60 percent (72 of 125) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 42.40 percent (53 of 125) were defeated.

Washington statewide ballot measures, 1995-2017
Years	Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Annual average	Annual median	Annual minimum	Annual maximum
Even years	65	37	56.92%	28	43.08%	5.9	5.0	3	9
Odd years	60	35	58.33%	25	41.67%	5.0	5.0	2	9
All years	125	72	57.60%	53	42.40%	5.6	5.0	2	9

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 six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

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.

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
• Influencers in Washington
• Washington fact checks
• More...

See also

• 2018 ballot measures
• List of Washington ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Washington
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Washington

External links

• Washington Secretary of State - Initiatives & Referenda

Footnotes