Ballots are due Tuesday in Washington

Some Washington voters will have to wade through a lot of words before marking their ballots for the candidates of their choice in the general election. Most Idaho voters can expect a quick trip to the polls Tuesday.

Washington voters must decide whether to try forcing the Legislature to choose between passing tax increases with two-thirds majorities or cutting sales taxes by 1 cent on the dollar. They could also impose state penalties on products from the endangered animals, including ivory.

Those initiatives sit atop all ballots around the state. Initiative 1366, an effort to force the Legislature into putting a constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot, is the latest idea from Tim Eyman and his Spokane partners, Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan and Fagan’s father Jack. Like most Eyman-sponsored super-majority initiatives, it draws praise from those who accuse the Legislature of runaway spending and criticism from those who see it as little more than a way to blackmail lawmakers.

Initiative 1401 would offer additional protection for products made from elephants, rhinoceroses and a handful of other rare animals. Supporters see it as a way to save those animals from extinction by making it illegal to buy or sell those products. Critics say it’s a feel-good measure that won’t have much effect because those things already have federal protections.

All ballots in the state also have four “advisory” questions on taxes the Legislature approved this year, including petroleum products on rail cars and higher gasoline taxes. Required by a previous Eyman initiative, the ballot items give voters a chance to register their opinions.

Over the years, voters have supported some taxes and opposed others in these advisory votes. The Legislature has never revisited any of them.

Spokane city voters might be surprised to find two ballot measures labeled Proposition 1.

In Spokane County Proposition 1, all county residents are being asked whether to expand the county board of commissioners from three to five members. It’s an idea that comes up from time to time from people who think the current system that dates to statehood is antiquated, but has failed in the face of criticism that it increases costs.

The Spokane City Proposition 1 is a charter amendment called the Worker Bill of Rights, which would require large employers pay “family wages,” along with equal pay for equal work and not wrongfully terminate workers. Its sponsor, Envision Spokane, has tried several charter amendments in the past, which, like this one, met with resistance from city officials and business leaders. Propositions 2 and 3 were put on the ballot by the City Council asking for voters’ advice on how to pay for Proposition 1, if it should pass.

Other cities in Spokane County also have ballot measures, but they involve tax levies for different services or bond issues.

Most cities also have council positions on the ballot. The Spokane voters must elect three – one for each council district – along with a mayor and council president. Incumbent David Condon is trying to be the first Spokane mayor since 1973 to be re-elected; he’ll have to beat civic activist Shar Lichty to achieve that.

In Idaho, the ballots are mostly short and sweet. Cities have council and, in some cases, mayoral elections. Some also have fire district positions up for election.