Though most of Washington’s thirty-nine counties are breaking strongly against I‑517, nowhere is the outcome more lopsided than in King County, which has voted down most of Tim Eyman’s initiatives over the years.
Voters in King are defeating I‑517 by an enormous margin. In fact, the gap between the yes vote and the no vote is actually larger than the yes vote.
And this is despite an extremely favorable ballot title.
As of last night, 30.88% of votes tallied and reported in King County were in favor of I‑517, while a whopping 69.12% were opposed. If late-arriving ballots break even harder against I‑517, we could see the no vote climb above seventy percent.
But even if that doesn’t happen, 69.12% is already a record. The previous high-water mark for a vote against an Eyman initiative in King County was set four years ago, in 2009, when 68.60% of voters opposed Eyman’s I‑1033. That vote surpassed the previous record of 67.05%, set in 2004 against Eyman’s I‑892.
It would really be something if we could get to 70% or above, and knock support for I‑517 down into the high twenties. That’s something I know I’d like to see.
King County’s neighbors Pierce and Snohomish are also turning I‑517 down by healthy margins. 62.26% of Snohomish voters are rejecting I‑517, while 59.65% of Pierce voters are doing the same. With King, Pierce, and Snohomish all aligned, I‑517 is going down in flames. Every other key swing county is also turning I‑517 down, even Clark County, which often exhibits a libertarian streak.
Rural counties, however, are split on I‑517.
Many are firmly against, just like their urban and suburban cousins. But some are for. It’s a fascinating list, consisting of Wahkiakim, Cowlitz, Okanogan, Yakima, Klickitat, Grant, Asotin, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille.
With the exception of Yakima, all of these counties are sparsely populated, and each have fewer inhabitants than one small city in King County, so they are not impacting the outcome. The populous counties of eastern Washington are all against I‑517.
With the exception of the aforementioned I‑892 and I‑1033, no Eyman initiative has ever received this kind of shellacking. It’s quite a victory, and we are going to be savoring it for a long time, even as we work to get rid of Tim Eyman’s push polls and organize opposition to any schemes he tries to qualify for the 2014 ballot.