Democratic dreams of a supermajority

But can they get there? Plus some campaign cash and a recommended reading

Elections have consequences, and some of them can get really wonky. We’re about to take a dive into the possible implications of big Democratic gains in the Legislature in this year’s election. 

The Washington Constitution puts some supermajority safeguards—requirements for more than 50% of lawmakers to agree—on passing certain legislation. These safeguards will usually limit the power of the majority party to act without some cooperation from the minority. 

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For example, issuing state debt requires a 60% supermajority. That typically means the state’s construction and transportation budgets need to be bipartisan affairs, which gives minority Republicans some leverage elsewhere in the legislative process.¹

Perhaps more consequentially, amending the state constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers, followed by a statewide vote of the people on a particular amendment. That means it is extremely rare that any controversial change to that document happens. A two-thirds majority would also give Democrats more leeway to suspend the Legislature’s rules and pave over the clock-management tactics available to the minority. 

Here’s why you should care about this: If you’ve found the progressive tilt of the Legislature a bit too tilted in recent years, you won’t be happy about an even more lopsided advantage. Conversely, if you’re the kind of Legislature-watcher who gnashes your teeth when all those progressive goodies die at the procedural deadlines, you’re cheering for big numbers. 

So where are we now? Democrats currently have a 29-20 advantage in the Senate and a 58-40 edge in the House. A 60% majority would be 30 votes in the Senate and 59 votes in the House. The results of the primary do not suggest Democrats will lose any seats in November.