{"id":2322306,"date":"2024-08-10T09:47:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T13:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-effort-to-invalidate-initiatives-on-the-fall-ballot-fails-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-10T09:51:53","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T13:51:53","slug":"secret-effort-to-invalidate-initiatives-on-the-fall-ballot-fails-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-effort-to-invalidate-initiatives-on-the-fall-ballot-fails-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret effort to invalidate initiatives on the fall ballot fails &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsecret-effort-to-invalidate-initiatives-on-the-fall-ballot-fails-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2322306&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent \u2064legal challenge to initiatives set for the November ballot in \u2062Washington \u200cstate was\u200c rejected by the state Supreme Court. The case, brought by the group Defend Washington, sought to invalidate several voter-backed measures by alleging that the signatures\u2064 needed for the ballot were collected illegally. The court dismissed this claim, allowing voters to decide on issues including the repeal of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jeff-bezos-move-to-miami-looms-large-at-wa-revenue-forecast-presentation\/\" title=\"Jeff Bezos&#039; Miami move casts a shadow over WA revenue forecast presentation\">capital gains\u2064 tax<\/a>, a ban on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-pac-works-to-repeal-cap-and-trade-as-washington-state-leads-nation-in-gas-prices\/\" title=\"GOP PAC aims to repeal cap and trade as Washington tops nation in gas prices.\">carbon tax credit trading<\/a>, and modifications to the WA Cares long-term care program. Another lawsuit \u200daimed to \u200binvalidate a certification concerning natural gas accessibility was also\u2062 dismissed. Proponents of the initiatives argue that these legal actions represent attempts to suppress voter choice on energy and tax\u2062 issues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Secret effort to invalidate initiatives on the fall ballot fails<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1727396\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Representatives of the Let&rsquo;s Go Washington voter advocacy group say they were blindsided Friday afternoon at learning the state Supreme Court was about to decide whether to invalidate all voter-backed initiatives on the Nov. 5 ballot. The court unanimously rejected their demands and dismissed the case.<\/p>\n<p>This November, voters will decide on initiatives repealing the capital gains tax, prohibiting carbon tax credit trading and repealing provisions of the 2021 Climate Commitment Act, and allowing people to opt out of the state&rsquo;s WA Cares long-term care program. A fourth initiative, sponsored by the Business Industry Association of Washington, would prohibit state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas.<\/p>\n<p>The situation that came to a head on Friday afternoon involves two cases.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, the anti-initiatives organization, Defend Washington, filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, claiming signatures to qualify the initiatives for the ballot were gathered illegally. This would mean the measures would need to re-qualify for the ballot. Attorney General Bob Ferguson represented the secretary of state in the case.<\/p>\n<p>In another case, the Washington Conservation Action Defense Fund sued Hobbs in an attempt to invalidate the secretary of state&rsquo;s certification of the initiative to prevent the government from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-decision-puts-pressure-on-biden-to-reignite-gas-stove-war\/\" title=\"Court Decision Puts Pressure on Biden to Reignite Gas Stove War\">restricting natural gas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These frivolous attempts to keep the voters from having a voice when it comes to energy choice are undemocratic and nothing short of voter suppression,&rdquo; Greg Lane, BIAW executive vice president, said in a news release. &ldquo;In essence, they are conceding through these desperate tactics that they know Washingtonians want energy choice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He concluded, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re pleased the over half a million people who signed our petition to stop gas bans in Washington will have the opportunity to vote on this in November.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Jackson Maynard, executive director and counsel of the Citizen Action Defense fund, offered his legal opinion on behalf of himself.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In 22 years of legal practice, I&rsquo;ve never seen a case progress this far without all necessary parties being before the court or at least being given the courtesy of a phone call about litigation as important as this,&rdquo; he told The Center Square. &ldquo;Participation in the initiative process is a fundamental right, and the idea that the state Supreme Court with the stroke of a pen could&rsquo;ve eliminated the voices of the millions who signed the petitions in this case without even hearing from all impacted parties is really troubling.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Attorney General&rsquo;s Office and Secretary of State&rsquo;s Office weren&rsquo;t immediately available for comment Friday night.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is a developing story.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1727396\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1727396\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Secret attempt to nullify initiatives on the upcoming ballot fails (The Center Square) \u2013 Members of the Let\u2019s Go Washington voter advocacy group expressed surprise on Friday afternoon upon discovering that the state Supreme Court was poised to rule on whether to invalidate all voter-supported initiatives for the November 5 ballot. The court unanimously dismissed their requests and rejected the case. This November, voters will have a chance to vote on initiatives aimed at repealing the capital gains tax, banning carbon tax credit trading, revoking parts of the 2021 Climate Commitment Act, and allowing individuals to opt out of Washington&#8217;s WA Cares long-term care program. Additionally, a fourth initiative backed by the Business Industry Association of Washington seeks to prevent state and local governments from limiting access to natural gas. The situation escalated on Friday with two legal cases involved. Earlier this year, an anti-initiative group called Defend Washington filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, alleging that signatures collected for these initiatives were obtained unlawfully, which would require them to re-qualify for inclusion on the ballot. Attorney General Bob Ferguson represented Hobbs in this matter. In another case, the Washington Conservation Action Defense Fund sued Hobbs in an effort to overturn his certification of an initiative aimed at preventing government restrictions on natural gas usage. Greg Lane, executive vice president of BIAW stated in a press release that these &#8220;frivolous attempts&#8221; are undemocratic and equate to voter suppression by trying to silence public opinion regarding energy choices in Washington State. He added that they are pleased over half a million people who signed their petition against gas bans will have their say in November&#8217;s vote. Jackson Maynard, executive director and counsel for Citizen Action Defense Fund shared his legal perspective as well: \u201cIn my 22 years as a lawyer, I\u2019ve never seen such significant litigation progress without all relevant parties being present or even notified about such crucial matters.\u201d He emphasized that participation in initiatives is a fundamental right and expressed concern over how easily voices could be silenced without proper representation or consideration from affected parties by just one decision from the Supreme Court. The Attorney General\u2019s Office and Secretary of State\u2019s Office did not respond immediately for comments late Friday night; this story is still developing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2322307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160623172-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[37720,3728,13239,32076],"class_list":["post-2322306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ballot-measures","tag-election","tag-initiatives","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160623172-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}