Washington
Of the 45 states whose legislatures hold sessions in 2010, 27 of them have adjourned for the year, and 5 more will wrap up before the end of the month. Of the more than 80 bills dealing with the initiative and referendum process in various states, 51 of them would have reduced citizens’ initiative rights. Thanks to the work of activists in our coalitions, only 3 bills reducing citizen’s rights have passed and become law.
Another initiative to privatize the state’s liquor business is being proposed. A group calling itself Washington Citizens for Liquor Reform filed a measure to get the state out of the liquor business but to continue to raise money from it through a percentage of the booze sold. Also looking to give voters a chance to pass a new law is the North American Self-defense Association, which has one proposal to outlaw all martial arts weapons at schools and colleges, and another that would mandate “abduction prevention training” as part of physical education courses at public schools.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in the Doe v Reed case out of Washington State. The case will decide whether or not signers of an initiative petition have a right to privacy. The Doe side argues that signing a petition is protected free speech and the release of the names will result in intimidation from opponents. Reed argues that the release of the names is part of keeping government transparent and prevent fraud.
Transcripts of the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday in Doe v. Reed - a case dealing with voter privacy - have been made available. You can read the transcript from the Court’s website here.
In a hearing punctuated by sharp questions, U.S. Supreme Court justices Wednesday seemed skeptical that people who sign ballot petitions ”” including one that sought to overturn a gay-rights law in Washington state ”” should remain anonymous. “Running a democracy takes a certain amount of civic courage,” Justice Antonin Scalia said during oral arguments in a case brought by conservative groups trying to keep Referendum 71 petition signatures secret. “The First Amendment offers no protection against criticism or even nasty phone calls.”
Today the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the Doe v Reed case out of Washington State. The case pits the privacy of petition signers against transparency in the process. This is an important case that will set precedent on the issue and be highly influential in future ballot initiative campaigns and court battles.
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a major campaign disclosure case that tests whether the Constitution protects the anonymity of people who sign petitions to get an initiative on the ballot.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that speaks to core issues of voting and political freedom: Should the names of people who sign petitions to get referendums on ballots be public or secret? The question is whether signing such a referendum is similar to casting a vote in an election or more closely resembles the type of political activism that should be public, such as making a sizable donation to a campaign.
On Wednesday, April 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Doe v Reed case out of Washington State. The case will decide whether or not signers of an initiative petition have a right to privacy. The Doe side argues that signing a petition is protected free speech and the release of the names will result in intimidation from opponents. Reed argues that the release of the names is part of keeping government transparent and preventing fraud.
Check out our new video to hear from both sides in the case.
The Building Industry Association of Washington’s (BIAW) Initiative 1082, which would allow private insurers to compete with the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) to offer employers workers’ compensation coverage has withstood a ballot title challenge from organized labor, and BIAW has begun printing petitions for signature gathering. BIAW was forced to battle labor union boss Rick Bender in court after he filed a challenge to the ballot title language drafted by the state Attorney General’s Office.
Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that the names of people who sign an initiative should be made public. The case arises from the unsuccessful measure last year to overturn the “everything but marriage” law for homosexual couples. Gay rights activists want to publicize the names of the 138,000 people who signed the petitions. A group behind the campaign, Protect Marriage Washington, says exposing the names could open signers to harassment.
Washington voters could decide on the November ballot whether to establish a state income tax on wealthy residents. Bill Gates Sr. was scheduled to headline an event Wednesday in Seattle where community leaders would announce their intentions about pursuing an income tax ballot measure. Gates is the father of the Microsoft founder and a longtime supporter of tax overhaul.
Next week, the U-S Supreme Court will hear a Washington case with implications across the country. The high court will consider whether citizen petitions are public or private. The case stems from the fight over petitions for Washington Referendum 71. That was the effort last year to repeal part of Washington’s gay domestic partnership law. Gay rights activists requested copies of the petitions so they could post information about the signers on the web.
Unable to win in the Legislature, the state building industry is launching a ballot campaign to bring private insurers into Washington’s state-run workers’ compensation system for the first time. The Democratic-controlled Legislature flatly rejected several business groups’ proposals to change the system during the just-concluded legislative session. The Initiative 1082 effort sets up a ballot-box fight with the state’s influential labor interests in an election year for most legislative seats.
A move to privatize liquor sales got no traction in the Legislature this year, but voters might get a chance to change the law on their own. State elections officials expect two initiatives related to liquor sales to be filed Friday, according to David Ammons, a spokesman in the Secretary of State’s office. The sponsors of the initiatives are not yet known. But a representative of a grocery industry group said Thursday that her organization has been contacted about a possible ballot measure to get liquor sales out of state hands and into private stores.