Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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 Feb. 5.
Kuderer’s bill comes three months after voters blasted lawmakers on multiple tax increases 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 On nine of the 12 advisory votes, voters called for the taxes to be repealed.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.
Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt supports the Senate Bill 6610.
Hunt is the president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors and testified for the bill during the public hearing. She says having non-binding advisory votes on the ballot sends a mixed message when trying to encourage people to vote.
“[The Washington State Association of County Auditors] supports this bill,” Hunt said. “We tell our voters, ‘Your vote matters. Your vote counts.’ But these votes don’t count toward anything …”
Hunt also said the advisory votes take a lot of space and clutter the ballot.
The most recent Adams County general election ballot’s advisory votes pushed a constitutional amendment to the back page.
“This constitutional amendment matters,” Hunt said. “Why would it be behind things that don’t count?”
Advisory votes were approved with 51.24 percent support in 2007 under Initiative 960.
Roger Harnack is owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.
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