Title 29A — Title 29A ELECTIONS
22 chapters · 486 sections in this title.
RCW 29A.72.010 Filing proposed measures with secretary of state.
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If any legal voter of the state, either individually or on behalf of an organization, desires to petition the legislature to enact a proposed measure, or submit a proposed initiative measure to the people, or order that a referendum of all or part of any act, bill, or law, passed…
RCW 29A.72.020 Review of proposed initiatives—Certificate required.
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Upon receipt of a proposed initiative measure, and before giving it a serial number, the secretary of state shall submit a copy thereof to the office of the code reviser and give notice to the sponsor of such transmittal. Upon receipt of the measure, the assistant code reviser to…
RCW 29A.72.025 Fiscal impact statements.
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The office of financial management, in consultation with the secretary of state, the attorney general, and any other appropriate state or local agency, shall prepare a fiscal impact statement for each of the following state ballot measures: (1) An initiative to the people that is…
RCW 29A.72.027 Public investment impact disclosures.
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(1) The attorney general must prepare a public investment impact disclosure for any ballot measure that:(a) Repeals, levies, or modifies any tax or fee, including changing the scope or application of an existing tax or fee; and(b) Has a fiscal impact statement, as provided by RCW…
RCW 29A.72.028 Public investment impact disclosures—Appeal to superior court.
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Any persons, including either or both houses of the legislature, dissatisfied with the public investment impact disclosure for a state initiative or referendum may, within three days from the filing of the public investment impact disclosure in the office of the secretary of stat…
RCW 29A.72.030 Time for filing various types.
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Initiative measures proposed to be submitted to the people must be filed with the secretary of state within ten months prior to the election at which they are to be submitted, and the signature petitions must be filed with the secretary of state not less than four months before t…
RCW 29A.72.040 Numbering—Transmittal to attorney general.
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The secretary of state shall give a serial number to each initiative, referendum bill, or referendum measure, using a separate series for initiatives to the legislature, initiatives to the people, referendum bills, and referendum measures, and forthwith transmit one copy of the m…
RCW 29A.72.050 Ballot title—Formulation, ballot display.
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(1) The ballot title for an initiative to the people, an initiative to the legislature, a referendum bill, or a referendum measure consists of: (a) A statement of the subject of the measure; (b) a concise description of the measure; and (c) a question in the form prescribed in th…
RCW 29A.72.060 Ballot title and summary by attorney general.
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Within five days after the receipt of an initiative or referendum the attorney general shall formulate the ballot title, or portion of the ballot title that the legislature has not provided, required by RCW 29A.72.050 and a summary of the measure, not to exceed seventy-five words…
RCW 29A.72.070 Ballot title and summary—Notice.
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Upon the filing of the ballot title and summary for a state initiative or referendum measure in the office of secretary of state, the secretary of state shall notify by telephone and by mail, and, if requested, by other electronic means, the person proposing the measure, the prim…
RCW 29A.72.080 Ballot title and summary—Appeal to superior court.
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Any persons, including the attorney general or either or both houses of the legislature, dissatisfied with the ballot title or summary for a state initiative or referendum may, within five days from the filing of the ballot title in the office of the secretary of state, appeal to…
RCW 29A.72.090 Ballot title and summary—Mailed to proponents and other persons—Appearance on petitions.
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When the ballot title and summary are finally established, the secretary of state shall file the instrument establishing it with the proposed measure and transmit a copy thereof by mail to the person proposing the measure, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the secr…
RCW 29A.72.100 Petitions—Paper—Size—Contents.
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The person proposing the measure shall print blank petitions upon single sheets of paper of good writing quality (including but not limited to newsprint) not less than eleven inches in width and not less than fourteen inches in length. Each petition at the time of circulating, si…
RCW 29A.72.110 Petitions to legislature—Form.
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Petitions for proposing measures for submission to the legislature at its next regular session must be substantially in the following form:The warning prescribed by RCW 29A.72.140; followed by:INITIATIVE PETITION FOR SUBMISSION TO THE LEGISLATURETo the Honorable . . . . . ., Secr…
RCW 29A.72.120 Petitions to people—Form.
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Petitions for proposing measures for submission to the people for their approval or rejection at the next ensuing general election must be substantially in the following form:The warning prescribed by RCW 29A.72.140; followed by:INITIATIVE PETITION FOR SUBMISSION TO THE PEOPLETo …
RCW 29A.72.130 Referendum petitions—Form.
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Petitions ordering that acts or parts of acts passed by the legislature be referred to the people at the next ensuing general election, or special election ordered by the legislature, must be substantially in the following form:The warning prescribed by RCW 29A.72.140; followed b…
RCW 29A.72.140 Warning statement—Further requirements.
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The word "warning" and the following warning statement regarding signing petitions must appear on petitions as prescribed by this title and must be printed on each petition sheet such that they occupy not less than four square inches of the front of the petition sheet.WARNINGEver…
RCW 29A.72.150 Petitions—Signatures—Number necessary.
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When the person proposing any initiative measure has obtained signatures of legal voters equal to or exceeding eight percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election prior to the submission of the signatures for verification, or when…
RCW 29A.72.160 Petitions—Time for filing.
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The time for submitting initiative or referendum petitions to the secretary of state for filing is as follows:(1) A referendum petition ordering and directing that the whole or some part or parts of an act passed by the legislature be referred to the people for their approval or …
RCW 29A.72.170 Petitions—Acceptance or rejection by secretary of state.
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The secretary of state may refuse to file any initiative or referendum petition being submitted upon any of the following grounds:(1) That the petition does not contain the information required by RCW 29A.72.110, 29A.72.120, or 29A.72.130.(2) That the petition clearly bears insuf…
RCW 29A.72.180 Petitions—Review of refusal to file.
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If the secretary of state refuses to file an initiative or referendum petition when submitted for filing, the persons submitting it for filing may, within ten days after the refusal, apply to the superior court of Thurston county for an order requiring the secretary of state to b…
RCW 29A.72.190 Petitions—Appellate review.
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The decision of the superior court refusing to grant a writ of mandate may be reviewed by the supreme court within five days after the decision of the superior court. The review must be considered an emergency matter of public concern, and be heard and determined with all conveni…
RCW 29A.72.200 Petitions—Destruction on final refusal.
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If no appeal is taken from the refusal of the secretary of state to file a petition within the time prescribed, or if an appeal is taken and the secretary of state is not required to file the petition by the mandate of either the superior or the supreme court, the secretary of st…
RCW 29A.72.210 Petitions—Consolidation into volumes.
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If the secretary of state accepts and files an initiative or referendum petition upon its being submitted for filing or if he or she is required to file it by the court, he or she shall, in the presence of the person submitting such petition for filing if he or she desires to be …
RCW 29A.72.230 Petitions—Verification and canvass of signatures, observers—Statistical sampling—Initiatives to legislature, certification of.
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Upon the filing of an initiative or referendum petition, the secretary of state shall proceed to verify and canvass the names of the legal voters on the petition. The verification and canvass of signatures on the petition may be observed by persons representing the advocates and …
RCW 29A.72.240 Count of signatures—Review.
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Any citizen dissatisfied with the determination of the secretary of state that an initiative or referendum petition contains or does not contain the requisite number of signatures of legal voters may, within five days after such determination, apply to the superior court of Thurs…
RCW 29A.72.250 Initiatives and referenda to the people—Certificates of sufficiency.
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If a referendum or initiative petition for submission of a measure to the people is found sufficient, the secretary of state shall at the time and in the manner that he or she certifies to the county auditors of the various counties the names of candidates for state and district …
RCW 29A.72.260 Rejected initiatives to legislature.
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Whenever any measure proposed by initiative petition for submission to the legislature is rejected by the legislature or the legislature takes no action thereon before the end of the regular session at which it is submitted, the secretary of state shall certify the serial number …
RCW 29A.72.270 Alternatives to initiatives to the legislature.
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If the legislature, having rejected a measure submitted to it by initiative petition, proposes a different measure dealing with the same subject, the secretary of state shall give that measure the same number as that borne by the initiative measure followed by the letter "B." Suc…
RCW 29A.72.280 Concise description for alternative to initiative to the legislature.
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For a measure designated as "Alternative Measure No. . . . . B," the secretary of state shall obtain from the measure adopting the alternative, or otherwise the attorney general, a concise description of the alternative measure that differs from the concise description of the ori…
RCW 29A.72.290 Printing ballot titles on ballots—Separate headings.
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The county auditor of each county shall print the serial numbers, ballot titles, and public investment impact disclosures certified by the secretary of state on the official ballots for the election at which initiative and referendum measures are to be submitted to the people for…