Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Advisory Vote No. 10

Election Results

Option Votes Pct
Repealed 439,168 50.61%
Maintained 428,656 49.39%

* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.

About The Measure

This year, the Legislature raised the fee on crude oil and other petroleum products being transported by rail in the state, which will raise an estimated $17 million over 10 years to help pay for safety inspections of crossings, training and oil spill response efforts. It passed unanimously in the Senate and with one no vote in the House.

The decision triggers a provision in state law that requires voters be asked whether they think those taxes should be repealed or kept. The ballot measures are required by Initiative 960, which passed in 2007. In the past nine such advisory measures, voters have backed some and opposed others. The results are non-binding, and the Legislature has yet to change – or even reconsider – a tax based on the results of an advisory measure.

The results of the advisory are non-binding, and the Legislature has yet to change – or even reconsider – a tax based on the results of an advisory measure.

Because the results have no consequences, there are no active campaigns either for or against any of the measures.