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Friday, April 7th, 2023
Joint letter asks Washington State House to repeal Tim Eyman’s push polls with SB 5082
Editor’s Note: The following letter, signed by over sixty organizations, was sent to members of the Washington State House of Representatives in support of NPI’s legislation to make it easier to vote in Washington State by replacing “advisory votes” (which are really anti-tax messages) with truthful, useful fiscal information.
Dear Representatives:
We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to you in support of Senate Bill 5082, Senator Patty Kuderer and Representative Amy Walen’s legislation to eliminate statewide “advisory votes” and replace them with truthful, accurate information about the Legislature’s fiscal decisions.
In Washington, we believe that voting should be simple and that widespread participation matters. It’s why we have prioritized making voting easier with laws providing for prepaid postage on ballot return envelopes, expanded drop boxes, same day and automatic voter registration.
This year let’s continue that important work by passing Senate Bill 5082.
The key principles guiding this legislation are as follows:
The continued presence of “advisory votes” undermines all of our hard work to make voting more inclusive, and makes our voters feel more disconnected and cynical when they open their ballots.
Having to navigate “advisory votes” also needlessly worsens the voting experience of young voters and new voters who have immigrated to the United States and for whom English is not their first language.
Importantly, Senate Bill 5082 doesn’t just get rid of “advisory votes”. It replaces them with a continuously updated website offering truthful, useful information about the state’s finances, prepared by LEAP and OFM staff. This website will be advertised in the voter’s pamphlet with a quick response (QR) code, URL, and telephone number.
We ask you to prioritize Senate Bill 5082 for floor action this year and support it with your vote so that we can make voting more straightforward and equitable, reduce voter fatigue, and ensure everything on our ballot has meaning.
Thank you for your service to the people of the State of Washington.
Sincerely,
—
AARP Washington State
AFT Washington
APACE
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Washington
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Yakima
Balance Our Tax Code
Cambodian Women Networking Association
Civic Ventures
Code Blue Washington
Common Power
Economic Opportunity Institute
Entre Hermanos
FairVote Washington
Faith Action Network
Fix Democracy First
Food Lifeline
Fuse Washington
Good Nature Publishing
Indivisible Vashon
Insight Strategic Partners
Latino Community Fund
League of Minority Voters
League of Women Voters of Washington
MajorityRules
MomsRising & MamásConPoder
More Equitable Democracy
National Association for Social Workers WA
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)
Nonprofit Association of Washington
Northwest Community Bail Fund
Northwest Harvest
Northwest Progressive Institute
OneAmerica
Pacific Islander Health Board
Pjals
Progreso: Latino Progress
Public School Employees of Washington (PSE)
SEIU 775
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SiX
Snohomish Indivisible
Tacoma Asia Pacific Cultural Center
Tacoma Ministerial Alliance
Tacoma Urban League
The Nature Conservancy — Washington Chapter
The Washington Bus
Thurston-Lewis-Mason Counties Central Labor Council
Transit Riders Union
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
UTOPIA Washington
Wallingford Indivisible
Washington Bikes
Washington Community Alliance
Washington Conservation Action
Washington Education Association
Washington Federation of State Employees
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Washington State Budget and Policy Center
Washington State Democratic Party
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Washington Student Association
Washington Voting Justice Coalition
# Written by Kathy Sakahara :: 9:30 AM
Categories: Elections
Tags: Fair Elections, Permanent Defense, Tim Eyman's Push Polls
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