WA judge denies GOP attempt to keep financial impact of initiatives off November ballots

FILE - A person puts their ballot in a drop box on Oct. 27, 2020, at a library in Seattle. A Washington state judge on Friday, June 7, 2024, turned back an attempt by GOP backers of three initiatives to keep the fiscal impact of the measures off the November ballot.

Opponents of the measures, who said they would have massive impacts on the state's ability to provide critical services, praised the judge's decision. The initiatives are just a few of the ones certified after the group Let’s Go Washington, which is primarily bankrolled by hedge fund executive Brian Heywood, submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures in support of them. Initiatives that would give police greater ability to pursue people in vehicles, declare a series of rights for parents of public-school students and bar an income tax were approved by lawmakers. Heywood did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment.

Initiative 2117 would repeal the state’s Climate Commitment Act, which works to cap and reduce pollution while creating revenue for investments that address climate change. It raised $1.8 billion in 2023 through quarterly auctions in which emission allowances are sold to businesses covered under the act.

Walsh and Martinez claimed the law doesn't apply to the three measures and asked the court to bar Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson from preparing statements on their fiscal impact and bar the secretary of state from certifying those statements.

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