REDMOND, WA – The Washington Supreme Court’s decision to strike down I-2066 seems to be part of an all out effort to eliminate Washingtonians’ constitutional right to make laws through the initiative process.
Washington’s Constitution could not be clearer: “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Throughout the battle to protect Washingtonians’ right to use natural gas in their homes and businesses, there has been a coordinated effort on the part of the majority party, the state’s executive branch, and now the judicial system to suppress the voices of the more than two million voters who passed I-2066 into law.
The coordinated effort against the will of the people comes down to three main points:
It appears to be a blatant attempt to discourage voters from even participating in the initiative process.
The Supreme Court is now consistently applying their judicial thumb in favor of the government against the voice of the people.
Voters and citizens are being forced to abide by a much more rigorous standard when they write laws, than is being applied to the Legislature – which routinely passes sweeping legislation that amends numerous statutes and touches multiple areas of public policy.
“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is shameful, not only because it punishes families making heating their homes more expensive, but because it appears to be a coordinated effort by all three branches of the government to annihilate the initiative process itself,” said Brian Heywood, Let’s Go Washington’s founder. “More than two million Washingtonians voted for I-2066. They made their decision and exercised a constitutional right reserved for the people. Today, that decision was erased by a biased and one-sided court.”
In session this year, we saw Lawmakers propose new restrictions on the initiative process designed to make it more difficult, cost more money and slow the process down, including requiring initiative sponsors to gather 1,000 signatures before even receiving a ballot title and restricting how signature gatherers may be compensated. This year’s income tax was passed without any contingency on voter approval and was created in such a way as to restrict the people’s right to referendum.
At some point, Washingtonians should ask what remains of a constitutional right if the government can make it progressively harder to exercise, defend the policies citizens are attempting to overturn, and then impose a judicial standard that nullifies the result after millions of people have voted.
“We are seeing a troubling double standard unfurling in our state government: one set of rules for government officials and legislators when they make policy and an infinite number of barriers for the people when they attempt to voice their concerns,” Heywood added about the collusion in the “people’s” house. “Justice Mungia’s dissent concluded that I-2066’s provisions shared a rational connection to the initiative’s stated purpose and warned that Washington courts are supposed to construe initiatives in a manner that protects, rather than unnecessarily defeats, the people’s legislative power. Washingtonians should ask whether their constitutional check on government is being steadily hollowed out.”
This is about more than energy choice, though the millions of voters who voted for the initiative to pass are still dealing with record costs, rising energy bills and no way to make decisions that are best for themselves. This case outlines who ultimately gets to make law in Washington. Today, Washington’s initiative process is weaker than it was yesterday. LGW continues to urge everyone to send a clear message that voters won’t be silenced. Vote yes on all three of this year’s initiatives. Stand up and fight for the rights guaranteed by the Washington State Constitution.