A conservative initiative slate hits the streets

GOP megadonor's PAC orders $4 million in paid signatures

It’s been a rough few years for Washinton’s ballot initiative system. The last time an initiative reached the ballot was in 2019. Since then, measures from both the right — repeals of the capital gains tax and the long-term care insurance system — and the left — broad drug legalization — have fallen short of the ballot or been abandoned by their sponsors.

So we’re eyeing with interest the slate of conservative initiatives being pushed by Let’s Go Washington, a political action committee founded and mostly funded by Republican megadonor Brian Heywood.

Here’s why you should care about this: Last month the PAC spent $400,000 on signature gatherers and ordered another $3.6 million in paid petitioning, per its filings with the Public Disclosure Commission. That’s a sign of real seriousness. Petitioners were at the Seahawks’ home opener. They’re likely working a mall parking lot near you.

A handout promoting the slate. (Photo by Tim Gruver.)

So what are they after? Broadly speaking, a rollback of some of the Democrat-controlled Legislature’s signature achievements for the past few years. The measures are all initiatives to the Legislature, which means Let’s Go Washington would need to gather 324,516 valid signatures for each of them by Dec. 29. Assuming the Legislature declined to enact them directly, the initiatives would go before voters in November 2024.