Senate Bill 6610 would eliminate straw ballots on tax and fee increases
OLYMPIA — Four Western Washington senators apparently don't want to hear what voters think of tax and fee increases approved by the Legislature.
They are co-sponsoring a bill to do away with public advisory votes, also known as straw ballots.
Under Senate Bill 6610 — co-sponsored by Sens. Patricia Kuderer of Bellevue, Sam Hunt of Olympia, Jamie Pederson of Seattle and Claire Wilson of Federal Way, all Democrats — advisory votes would be eliminated.
The bill would create a task force to study how best to gather public opinion on legislation with “significant fiscal impact.”
According to the bill, only four people representing the general public would have a seat on the proposed 12-member task force. Those representatives would be selected by the lawmakers representing Senate and House Democrats and Republicans.
The remaining seats would be occupied by House and Senate members, the secretary of state and three county elections officials.
As prime sponsor, Kuderer introduced the bill Jan. 24 to collect “genuine” feedback on tax and fee increases.
The measure was referred to the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Relations and Elections.
The committee held a public hearing on the measure this morning, Feb. 5.
Kuderer's bill comes three months after voters blasted lawmakers on multiple tax increase approved in the waning hours of the 2019 Legislative session.
Many of those tax measures were passed with the gallery closed to the public and without any public comment.
On Nov. 5, voters were asked to weigh in on a dozen such tax increases through the non-binding straw ballot process. On nine of the 12 advisory votes, voters called for the taxes to be repealed.
In addition voters statewide overwhelmingly approved Initiative 976, a ballot measure to cap taxes and fees on license plate tabs to $30 after years of government agencies using the tabs as a way to leverage additional revenues.
Independent gubernatorial candidate Tim Eyman, the author of I-976 and numerous other anti-tax initiatives over the last 20 years, testified against the bill during the public hearing.
“This is an arrogant, elitist bill,” Eyman said. “This bill sends a very clear message to voters: ‘We don’t care what you think, we have no interest in your opinion.’”
Eyman called the bill “insulting” and an attempt to hide future tax increases.
Kuderer, however, claims that advisory votes are too complicated and too confusing for voters without proper context.
Advisory votes were approved with 51.24 percent support in 2007 under Initiative 960.
Voters in only five of the state's 39 counties opposed the addition of advisory votes on ballots.
East of the Cascades, voters only in Whitman County opposed I-960. Whitman County is home to Washington State University, which attracts attracts Democratic voters for employment and educational opportunities.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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