The Legislature is considering a few pieces of legislation regarding elections, some more helpful than others.
Senate Bill 5153 would bring some badly needed transparency to campaign donations, creating a new class of political action committee. As reported by Herald Writer Jerry Cornfield last week, groups have taken advantage of the current system to shield the source of donations. The bill would require “incidental committees” to file reports with the state Public Disclosure Commission if they spend $25,000 or more on a campaign for a statewide ballot measure or office and would require identification of donors who contribute $2,000 or more.
Recent political campaigns, particularly for initiatives, have seen incredible growth in spending. The campaign against I-522, which sought labeling of food products using genetically modified ingredients, raised more than $21 million in 2013. And the drive to privatize liquor sales in the state, I-1183, raised more than $20 million in 2011. With that much money flowing to campaigns, it’s imperative that voters know where that support is coming from, whether its from the left or the right, from corporations or unions.
House Bill 1323 would do away with the annoyance of voting for ballot questions that are little more than straw polls. The legislation would scrap the “advisory” questions found on statewide ballot that seek nonbinding votes for tax measures the Legislature has already voted on. The advisory votes were a provision of Tim Eyman’s I-960, passed in 2007. But during the last two general elections the state has spent more than $250,000 to include the advisory votes in the voter’s pamphlets. That’s $250,000 spent on advisory votes that carry little weight among legislators.
Another bill, Senate Bill 5344, would the pay the postage on all ballots, saving each voter a 49-cent stamp. Counties would pay the postage for each ballot and then be reimbursed. A fiscal note on the bill estimates that it would cost the state $2.7 million during the 2015-17 biennium and $2.3 million during the 2017-19 biennium. Backers see requiring a stamp as a poll tax, as minor as it is. But voter turnout could use some help. Turnout for general elections was as high as 81 percent statewide in 2012 for the presidential election, but dropped drastically to 45 percent in 2013 and 54 percent in 2014. And nothing stops a voter from putting the stamp on the envelope and saving the state that cost.
Finally, Senate Joint Resolution 8201, seeks an amendment to the state constitution’s provision for initiatives that would require initiatives not have a significant effect on the state budget. The legislation is, supporters admit, a reaction to the passage of I-1351, which now requires the state to hire thousands of teachers and other education workers at a significant cost, but it provided no method of funding for itself. Its passage would require a two-thirds majority in the Legislature and approval by the voters, but the bill already has about 40 senators, Republican and Democratic, lined up in support.
Not surprisingly, the bill has drawn criticism from Eyman, who has made initiatives, especially those on tax issues, his career. Eyman makes the point that any initiative that would attempt to make itself revenue-neutral by imposing a tax or by cutting programs would violate the constitution’s prohibition against initiatives addressing more than one issue, and he speaks from personal knowledge on that point, having had initiatives overturned because of it.
The frustration with I-1351 is understandable, but the Legislature should be careful with amendments to the constitution and with the people’s right to place initiatives on the ballot. The Legislature’s effort to secure agreement among two-thirds of itself would be better spent in amending or suspending I-1351.
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