Прямая демократия в штате Вашингтон: история и практика народных инициатив и референдумов.

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The U. S. state of Washington has had a system of direct voting since gaining statehood in 1889. Citizens and the state legislature both have the ability to place new legislation, or legislation recently passed by the state legislature, on the ballot for a popular vote. Washington has three types of ballot measures that can be voted on in a general election: initiatives, referendums, and legislatively referred constitutional amendments. In order to be placed on the ballot, supporters of a measure must gather signatures from registered voters. From 1898 to 1912, the only ballot measures allowed were legislatively referred constitutional amendments. In 1912, an amendment successfully passed to create a citizen led process for initiatives and referendums, and the first successful initiative was passed in 1914. Since adopting this process, ballot measures have become widely accepted as part of Washington's electoral system. as of 2020, over 2,000 different initiatives had been filed with the state, along with a significantly smaller number of referendums. Of those, only a fraction have received the required signatures to be placed on the ballot. The Constitution of Washington, which had itself been approved by a vote of the people, laid out the first guidelines for ballot measures. Article XXIII, Section 1 dictated that constitutional amendments required passing by a two thirds vote in the state legislature and being approved by a majority of voters in the next general election. This section also required that details of the amendment should be published in newspapers across the state before election day. In 1912, Constitutional Amendment Article II, Sec. 1 passed. This amendment granted people the power to place measures on the ballot every election via petition. For one of these measures to be valid, it needed signatures of support from at least eight percent of the voting population, based on turnout from the previous election. The passage of Initiative Measure 1000 (the "Death with Dignity Act") in 2008 made Washington the second state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide. The following year, voters approved Referendum Measure 71, which marked the first time voters had expanded recognition of queer relationships at the ballot box. In 2012, Referendum Measure 74 passed, making Washington the ninth state to recognize same sex marriage and the third to do so by popular vote. That same year, the passage of Initiative Measure 502 led to Washington becoming the first state to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use. While state law on signature gathering includes a recommendation that organizers should not be paid to gather signatures, the practice of paying workers per signature gathered has been legal in Washington since 1994. Supporters of the practice claim that it allows campaigns to extend their reach and makes ballot access more accessible and point to measures that have passed with widespread public support as evidence. The practice has been criticized for potentially allowing campaigns to "buy their way onto the ballot", most notably by former Secretary of State Ralph Munro. Some paid signature gatherers have been arrested on charges of forgery and election fraud for placing fake signatures on petitions. Since sponsoring his first measure in 1997, Tim Eyman has been the most prolific sponsor of initiatives and referendums in the state. He has had 17 initiatives placed on the ballot as of 2021, with 11 being approved. Of those, only two have not since been overturned or modified by the courts. Eyman's 2007 Initiative Measure 960 passed with 51% of the vote and created a new system of "advisory votes" for all tax increases passed by the legislature in Washington. While most of this initiative was overturned by the Washington Supreme Court in 2013, this system still stands. Advisory votes are not legally binding and exist solely to measure public approval, as such, they are not considered to be ballot measures.

There are two types of initiatives in Washington. Initiatives to the People are placed on the ballot and, if passed, become law. These initiatives require a number of signatures equal to or greater than eight percent of the votes cast in the previous state gubernatorial race. The signatures must be gathered over a period of six months.

+ Measure name Description Status Yes votes No votesHouse Joint Resolution 13A measure to allow county commissioners to fill state legislative vacancies that occur before a scheduled election133,255 (60.33%)87,633 (39.67%)Initiative to the Legislature 1A measure allowing local governments to create public utility districts, providing for the construction of power plants and water treatment facilities, and authorizing taxes to fund those public utility districts170,101 (53.44%)148,201 (46.56%)Initiative to the People 58A measure providing permanent voter registration and creating new government positions to keep voter rolls up to date134,908 (43.37%)176,154 (56.63%)House Joint Resolution 14A measure barring the state legislature from imposing taxes at the local level173,930 (38.44%)278,543 (61.56%)Initiative to the People 101A measure creating a state civil service commission to manage employees of the state, counties, cities, ports, schools, parks, and libraries293,202 (65.69%)153,142 (34.31%)Initiative to the People 129A measure to limit the tax rate of personal property by state, county, municipalities, and school districts253,318 (41.13%)362,508 (58.87%)Initiative to the People 141A measure providing a minimum $40 grant every month to Washington citizens over 65 years of age 246,257 (69.35%)108,845 (30.65%)Referendum Measure 23A measure providing for an attorney independent from the prosecuting attorney to assist and advise grand juries357,488 (33.40%)179,273 (66.60%)House Joint Resolution 4An amendment requiring that revenue from driver's license fees and taxes on fuel be used for highway purposes only220,239 (37.45%)367,836 (62.55%)Referendum Measure 27A measure creating a State Timber Resources Board which would have final say on all purchases and sales relating to state timber and state forest land337,554 (54.45%)282,324 (45.55%)Initiative to the Legislature 13A measure banning any entity except for the state of Washington from selling alcohol286,189 (47.68%)314,014 (52.32%)Initiative to the People 178A measure transferring Washington's public assistance medical program to the Washington State Department of Health389,626 (54.66%)323,133 (45.34%)House Joint Resolution 8An amendment permitting school districts to take on additional debt when authorized by a vote of the people207,746 (25.23%)615,794 (74.77%)Initiative to the People 188A measure to establish an independent Board of Chiropractic Examiners which would oversee educational requirements for chiropractors and implement increased educational requirements329,653 (31.86%)704,903 (68.14%)Initiative to the People 199A measure adding three new legislative districts, three new members to the state senate, and replacing precincts with census tracts402,937 (50.71%)391,726 (49.29%)Senate Joint Resolution 12An amendment creating a seven member commission that would handle redistricting every ten years526,130 (52.11%)483,449 (47.89%)Initiative to the People 205A measure creating a new liquor license for taverns allowing them to sell alcoholic liquor392,172 (49.47%)400,630 (50.53%)House Joint Resolution 9An amendment empowering the legislature to temporarily fill other state level elected positions if an emergency resulting from enemy attack prevents the incumbents from fulfilling their duty665,737 (63.56%)381,743 (36.44%)Referendum Bill 11A measure authorizing up to $10,00,000 for the acquisition of outdoor public recreational land 403,700 (43.98%)514,281 (56.02%)Initiative to the People 229A measure repealing restrictions on what people may do on a Sunday, including restrictions on alcohol consumption and sports792,242 (66.70%)394,644 (23.30%)Initiative to the People 245A measure reducing the amount of interest or one time fees that can be considered a "retail service charge"504,779 (48.91%)527,263 (51.09%)Initiative Measure 256A measure banning the sale of drinks in containers with a recycling deposit value of five cents or lower526,371 (37.02%)895,385 (62.98%)Initiative Measure 261A measure privatizing state owned liquor stores and barring the state from distributing or selling alcohol798,338 (80.14%)197,795 (19.86%)Referendum Measure 36A measure lowering the drinking age from 21 to 19 (required at least 60% in favor)515,404 (54.75%)425,903 (42.25%)Senate Joint Resolution 140An amendment restricting the governor's veto power and allowing the legislature to reconsider vetoed bills323,831 (33.18%)652,178 (66.82%)Initiative Measure 316A measure mandating the death penalty for people convicted of first degree aggravated murder522,921 (54.76%)431,989 (45.24%)Initiative Measure 345A measure exempting food from state and local sales taxes585,903 (66.29%)297,991 (33.71%)

+ Measure name Description Status Yes votes No votesReferendum Bill 37A measure authorizing $25,000,000 in funding for facilities for the mentally and physically disabled 576,882 (66.83%)286,365 (33.17%)Initiative Measure 61A measure banning the sale of drinks in containers with a recycling deposit of less than five cents1,211,606 (75.49%)393,415 (24.51%)Referendum Bill 38A measure authorizing $125,000,000 in funding for water supply facilities 532,178 (58.06%)384,419 (41.94%)Initiative Measure 402A measure replacing inheritance and gift taxes with a tax on the transfer of net estates452,710 (33.97%)880,135 (66.03%)Initiative Measure 414A measure prohibiting the sale of drinks in containers with a recycling deposit of five cents or less639,981 (61.07%)407,916 (38.93%)Senate Joint Resolution 105An amendment extending maximum state harbor leases from thirty to fifty five years916,855 (53.16%)807,825 (46.84%)Initiative Measure 464A measure excluding trade ins from selling price sales tax582,471 (71.37%)233,728 (28.63%)House Joint Resolution 22An amendment eliminating voter turnout requirements for votes approving excess property tax levies for schools1,055,896 (82.62%)222,141 (17.38%)Initiative Measure 90A measure increasing sales taxes for the purpose of funding wildlife conservation and recreation programs282,613 (34.29%)541,387 (65.71%)Initiative Measure 92A measure banning doctors from charging patients on Medicare more than Medicare's "allowable/reasonable" charges1,354,454 (76.55%)414,926 (23.45%)Initiative Measure 97A measure to impose a 0.7% tax on hazardous substances to fund hazardous waste cleanup programs. This measure was one of two options. The other option exempted some hazardous waste from taxation.349,357 (33.65%)688,782 (66.35%)Senate Joint Resolution 8200An amendment granting basic fundamental rights to victims of felony crimes327,339 (24.91%)968,505 (75.09%)House Joint Resolution 4203An amendment adding additional requirements for a new county to be formed690,828 (45.98%)811,686 (54.02%)Initiative Measure 559A measure reducing property taxes1,119,985 (52.38%)1,018,260 (47.62%)Initiative Measure 134A measure limiting campaign contributions, prohibiting public funding of political campaigns, and restricting campaign fundraising activities1,135,521 (75.20%)374,567 (25.80%)Initiative Measure 601A measure limiting state expenditures by inflation rates and population growth774,342 (51.21%)737,735 (48.79%)Initiative Measure 602A measure limiting state revenue collections and expenditures on personal income955,960 (57.60%)703,619 (42.40%)Referendum Bill 43A measure requiring that tax revenues from cigarettes, liquor, and pop syrup be distributed to violence reduction and drug enforcement programs566,880 (42.48%)767,686 (57.52%)Initiative Measure 651A measure removing restrictions on gambling on tribal lands1,387,577 (62.99%)815,385 (37.01%)Initiative Measure 670A measure requiring the placement of a ballot notice next to the names of certain candidates who do not support Congressional term limits521,161 (32.39%)1,087,903 (67.61%)Initiative Measure 676A measure requiring trigger locks on handguns and implementing a system of handgun licensing1,259,470 (66.10%)644,764 (33.90%)Initiative Measure 692A measure decriminalizing medical marijuana use for patients with terminal or debilitating conditions992,715 (56.16%)775,054 (43.84%)Initiative Measure 696A measure outlawing commercial net, troll, and trawl fishing, with an exception for tribal fisheries1,315,903 (54.61%)1,093,587 (45.39%)Initiative Measure 722A measure repealing tax increases passed in 1999, exempting vehicles from property taxes, and limiting annual property tax increases to 2%826,258 (57.60%)609,266 (42.40%)Initiative Measure 773A measure imposing additional taxes on cigarettes and wholesale tobacco products, to be spent on expanded health care services for low income persons901,478 (51.47%)849,986 (48.53%)Initiative Measure 790A measure placing management of the law enforcement officers and firefighters' retirement system in a board of trustees656,737 (53.49%)570,980 (46.51%)House Joint Resolution 4206An amendment permitting newly elected office holders to take office early if a vacancy arises1,632,225 (59.85%)1,095,190 (40.15%)Initiative Measure 884A measure increasing the state sales tax by 1% to create an education trust fund994,757 (56.40%)767,844 (43.60%)Initiative Measure 901A measure prohibiting smoking in buildings and vehicles open to the public, including areas within 25 feet (8 m) of doorways and ventilation openings778,047 (38.20%)1,258,110 (61.80%)Initiative Measure 933A measure compensating property owners when regulations damage the use or value of their property816,792 (51.24%)777,125 (48.76%)Referendum Measure 67A measure allowing consumers to collect triple damages from their insurance company for unreasonably denied claims1,163,216 (40.01%)1,744,156 (59.99%)Initiative Measure 1000A measure legalizing assisted suicide for mentally competent, terminally ill adults434,051 (44.62%)538,768 (55.38%)Referendum Measure 71A measure recognizing long term same sex partners to have the same rights as married spouses (without recognizing them as married)1,571,655 (63.75%)895,833 (36.25%)Initiative Measure 1082A measure privatizing workers compensation insurance in the state878,923 (46.79%)999,484 (53.21%)Initiative Measure 1163A measure requiring long term care workers receive background checks, training, and meet certification requirements1,055,749 (52.99%)936,751 (47.01%)Senate Joint Resolution 8200An amendment allowing the legislature to pass bills detailing the succession of power during an emergency2,283,630 (57.82%)1,665,906 (42.18%)Senate Joint Resolution 8212An amendment allowing the state legislature to invest the Long Term Care Services and Supports Trust Account into stocks1,738,080 (45.64%)2,069,809 (54.36%)