An overview of what measures will or may be on this November's statewide ballot

Although General Election Day 2010 is still half a year away — and we are still many weeks away from the filing and signature turn-in deadlines — we're starting to get a clearer picture of what our ballots are going to look like.

Partly this is because the legislative session is over, but it's also partly because we are nearing the first week of July, when sponsors of statewide initiatives must submit at least 241,153 valid signatures to force a public vote on their measure.

Here is an overview of the measures that will or may be on every Washingtonian's ballot in November. We'll start with the ones referred to the people by the Legislature; these we know about for sure.

• Referendum 52: Known as the Jobs Act of 2010, this bill would strengthen our common wealth by authorizing the issuance of bonds to pay for the weatherization of public buildings (including schools, colleges, and universities). The resulting energy savings would thus pay for themselves. Voters will be asked to either Approve or Reject this referendum.
• HJR 4220: A constitutional amendment which would give judges greater leeway to deny bail to individuals who prosecutors can demonstrate have a propensity for violence. The amendment was crafted as a response to the heinous crimes committed by Maurice Clemmons; it is known as the Lakewood Police Officers Memorial Act.
• SJR 8225: A constitutional amendment adjusting the state's debt limits. The amendment is a very technical change to Article VIII, Section 1. It simply modernizes the way the amount required for payment of interest is calculated. The amendment is only six lines long.

Except for Referendum 52 (we strongly urge an Approve vote) NPI has not taken formal positions on these measures referred by the Legislature, but we anticipate also endorsing the latter two in addition to the former.

(By the way, the architect of Referendum 52 — Hans Dunshee — is a featured speaker at our Spring Fundraising Gala this year. We're excited about having him as part of our program and we invite you to attend on June 9th.)

Now, here's a fairly comprehensive list of the citizen-sponsored initiatives that may also appear on our ballots in November:

• Initiative 1053: Tim Eyman's latest scheme to wreck government is merely a do-over of his 2007 measure, Initiative 960. I-960 unconstitutionally gave thirty four representatives in the House and seventeen senators in the Senate the power to override their sixty four and thirty two other colleagues (respectively) and veto any bill intended to raise revenue for our common wealth. NPI, through its Permanent Defense division, is opposing I-1053.
• Initiative 1068: Would decriminalize possession of marijuana, removing state-level penalties for adults who "cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana". A grassroots coalition known as Sensible Washington is working to qualify this measure for the ballot; volunteers are actively collecting signatures. NPI has not yet taken a position on I-1068.
  
• Initiative 1082: The latest astroturf campaign from our friends at the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), the state's most powerful and notorious right wing lobby. The BIAW is calling its campaign committee "Save Our Jobs Now Washington" but the real purpose of Initiative 1082 is to privatize industrial insurance and weaken the Department of Labor & Industries. NPI strongly opposes I-1082.
  
• Initiative 1098: A serious proposal to reform our state's tax structure, championed by William Gates Sr. It would create an income tax on high-earners (individuals making more than $200,000 a year; $400,000 for couples) and erase the small business and occupation tax for eighty percent of small businesses. It would also lower the state property tax levy by twenty percent. The estimated $1 billion left over would be dedicated to funding public schools and strengthening healthcare coverage. NPI has endorsed yes on I-1098 (formerly I-1077).

In addition, the beverage industry is considering attempting to qualify an initiative to repeal part of the revenue package enacted into law by lawmakers just a few weeks ago. Since they haven't decided to move forward yet, it's not clear which initiative they would use as their vehicle if they did.

(An initiative sponsor can repeatedly file multiple versions of the same measure; it only costs $5 to file each version).

There is one other right wing measure out there: Initiative 1056, which would mandate a crackdown on immigrants (it has some similarities with Arizona's "show us your papers" law). The right wing has previously tried to qualify this initiative in previous years (although past incarnations may have been different). We do not anticipate that Initiative 1056 will qualify for the ballot this year.

Regardless, if you see right wing petitioners collecting signatures for I-1056 (or I-1053, or I-1082) please let us know by reporting your experience.