Citizen initiative process now open for business

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Getting a jump on the Monday convening of the Washington Legislature, the citizen initiative process for 2012 got underway on Friday. Initiative activist Tim Eyman filed five measures, dealing with $30 car tabs, traffic cameras, supermajority for taxes, the initiative process and creation of an office of inspector general to investigate fraud. Typically, Eyman submits a number of proposals and drafts and decides later which one(s) to pursue with a full initiative signature drive. Sponsors of a “safe cannabis act” submitted a proposal and another sponsor proposed a “working driver’s license” of 13.5 hours a day. The filings, which may be done online, cost $5. Sponsors have until early July to submit at least 241,153 valid signatures of registered Washington voters, although the state Elections Division recommends bringing in at least 320,000, in order to cover the customary number of duplicate and invalid signatures. If validated, the measure(s) go to the November General Election ballot. Initiative proposals are sent to the state Code Reviser for review and the Attorney General for preparation of a ballot title. Then they are assigned a number and after a period for court challenge(s) of the ballot title, the sponsor is free to print petitions and circulate for signatures. In a related development, the actual signature check for Initiative to the Legislature 502, dealing with marijuana legalization, will begin next Wednesday at 8 a.m. Sponsors submitted enough signatures (over 350,000) to cover the typical error rate. Pending Initiatives

Title	Date Submitted
Protect the Initiative Act	1/6/2012 8:52 AM	View
Son of 1053 (2/3 vote for tax increases)	1/6/2012 8:55 AM	View
$30 car tabs	1/6/2012 8:56 AM	View
automatic ticketing cameras	1/6/2012 8:56 AM	View
Stop Government Fraud Act	1/6/2012 8:57 AM	View
Washington State Safe Cannabis Act 2012	1/6/2012 8:57 AM	View