The Washington Bill will “kill the initiative process,” a critic – Blackchronicle

(Central Square) – a bill introduced to this legislative session to add additional requirements to those who collect signatures in Washington for initiatives would effectively “kill” the process, according to one critic.

According to the existing state legislation, the initiative signature collectors are subject to various restrictions and requirements regarding things such as the size of the signature paper, the information provided to both paper and signed.

The Senate 5382 bill, sponsored by Senator Javier Valdes, D-Syllato, will include an additional agreement that the collected signatures certify under criminal responsibility that all the information provided by the signed is correct and is eligible for signature. They will also have to certify that the signator has not received compensation or promised signing compensation. Those who are in violation will be guilty of a crime subject to 364 days in prison and a fine of up to $ 5,000.

However, Brian Haywood of Let’s Go Washington claims to X that the bill “claims to protect the initiative process while making the process of gathering more difficult and creating the risk of prosecution if you are mistaken for their new rules, of course, of course are, of legally contested and prejudiced courts. Legislators are not stupid about this process and make suggestions that believe that the average voter can consider them reasonable, while at the same time fraudulently killing the initiative process.

Haywood and Let’s Go Washington were sponsors of seven initiatives last year, three of which were approved by the legislature and one of whom was approved by voters in November, while the other three were rejected.

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“In fact, in this state where you should never show an ID card to vote, it can be argued that they even set standards higher than those needed to exercise your most important constitutional right and obligation to You vote, “Heywood said. “How can the collector confirm that the information is correct?”

The initiative process in recent years has been the subject of revisions that opponents of these changes say that they are placing the weight on the rock. During the 2024 elections, the Republican Party in Washington said the Prosecutor General’s Office had “armed” statements about the impact of the vote on the initiatives required according to state status. A bill filed last year would create a buffer zone between signature collectors and protesters after people working with Let’s Go Washington, the protesters harassment said, but the bill did not clear the original committee.

In addition, a case was filed against the initiatives Leet’s Go Washington by Defend Washington in order to invalidate them, but was unanimously rejected by the Supreme Court of the State. However, the lawsuit is still outraged by Let’s Go Washington, whose legal advisor said they had not been informed of the case either AGO or the Secretary of State’s office.

The SB 5382 was referred to the State Government, the tribal and election Committee, but it is not scheduled for a public hearing.