Initiative activist Tim Eyman filed a new anti-tax measure with the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday that he says is aimed at Gov. Jay Inslee and 58 Democratic legislators who do not support a supermajority requirement of the Legislature to raise taxes.
The new ballot measure requires tax increases to expire after one year, unless the increase was approved by two-thirds of the Legislature.
The petition he intends to circulate has pictures of dozens of Democratic lawmakers who represent districts where voters supported a two-thirds requirement.
“These Democratic politicians refuse to let the people vote,” Eyman said.
The effort comes on the heels of another Eyman effort, Initiative 1366, which passed in November with 52 percent of the vote. The initiative is being challenged in the courts. It would cut the state sales tax unless the Legislature passes a constitutional amendment requiring new taxes be approved by a two-thirds majority of lawmakers or voters.
After filing the initiative, Eyman took his press conference to the lobby of the governor’s office, where he got into a back-and-forth with the governor’s spokesman, David Postman. Eyman asked why the governor is not allowing people to vote. Postman replied that people can vote, but the initiative will end up in court with the other Eyman-backed initiative.
Read the full text of the initiative here.