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The fate of our state is in your hands. Issue on the ballot this fall have huge implications for our families, our communities, and our state. Our goal is to make smart, informed voting based on progressive values easier for you. So we worked with Washington's leading progressive organizations to produce the Washington Ballot Guide based on their endorsements -- one-stop shopping for highly informed recommendations about the issues on your ballot.

Please forward this guide to your friends and family, and make sure to mail your ballot in by Tuesday, November 8th.

Washington Ballot Guide

The Washington Ballot Guide highlights the ballot measure positions recommended by Washington's leading progressive organizations.

Statewide Initiatives

Initiative 1125

Vote NO on I-1125 - We can't afford more traffic and fewer jobs
Tim Eyman is back with another dangerous initiative that would halt major transportation projects across the state and eliminate thousands of jobs just when we need them most.

I-1125 would block funding that is critical for hundreds of construction projects, including the 520 bridge, the Columbia River Crossing, and State Routes 167 and 509. Eyman's I-1125 also threatens critical transit projects, including voter-approved light rail to East King County. This initiative would make it nearly impossible for Washington to sell toll-backed bonds, which are a critical part of the funding for transportation projects across the state.

Nearly all the campaign funding for I-1125 has come from one wealthy developer, Kemper Freeman. Freeman has dumped more than $1 million into I-1125 as a last-ditch effort to stop light rail.

More traffic and fewer jobs is not what Washington families are looking for. Vote NO on Initiative 1125.

Opposed by: League of Women Voters, Washington Environmental Council, Transportation Choices Coalition, SEIU WA State Council, Washington Conservation Voters, Cascade Bicycle Club, Sierra Club, OneAmerica Votes, Fuse Washington, The Stranger, Washington State Democrats, various Democratic district organizations, Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, Joint Council of Teamsters Local 28, Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans, Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans, Cascade Land Conservancy, Futurewise, and many others.

Initiative 1163

Vote YES on I-1163: Restore common sense protections for seniors and people with disabilites
I-1163 restores basic training requirements and federal background checks for home health care workers. This initiative will increase accountability for health care workers and ensure that our seniors and people with disabilities receive the safe, quality care they deserve.

Home health care workers care for our parents, grandparents, and members of our community with disabilities. These health care workers maintain the dignity and independence of thousands of our most vulnerable by allowing them to receive care in their own home. This also saves millions of dollars in expensive nursing home care.

Three years ago, the voters of Washington passed a similar measure by an overwhelming margin, only to see it cut by the legislature. Initiative 1163 would restore these common sense protections for more than 40,000 of our state's most vulnerable residents.

Vote YES on I-1163.

Endorsements and Supporters include: Washington State Alliance for Retired People, Puget Sound Alliance for Retired People, Washington State Senior Citizens Lobby, SEIU Washington State Council, Equal Rights Washington, OneAmerica Votes, Washington CAN!, The Stranger, UFCW 21, Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Washington State Democrats, various Democratic District organizations, Washington State Council of Firefighters, Washington Education Association, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO District 751, Washington Teamsters Joint Council #28, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Faith Action Network, State Poverty Action Network, and many others.

Initiative 1183

Vote NO on I-1183 - Protect Our Communities
Big grocery chains and liquor distributors are back with another dangerous initiative to deregulate liquor sales in our communities. Based on an initiative that voters solidly rejected last year, I-1183 would authorize as many as five times as many retailers to sell hard liquor. As a result, our communities would likely see an increase in liquor consumption and problem drinking, as well as a negative impact on public safety.

I-1183 was written by corporate chain stores as a way to increase their profits. This measure gives an unfair advantage to big box stores at the expense of our Northwest small businesses and workers. In addition, this dangerous initiative would cost our state nearly 1,000 family-wage jobs and put many local entrepreneurs out of business. That's why small grocers and workers have joined local breweries and wineries standing united against this measure.

Vote NO on I-1183.

Opposed by: League of Women Voters of Washington, SEIU Washington State Council, OneAmerica Votes, Latino PAC, Fuse Washington, The Stranger, Washington State Democrats, various Democratic District organizations, Joint Council of Teamsters 28, Snohomish County Central Labor Council, Spokane Regional Labor Council, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 141 (Nurses), Washington Education Association, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, Children's Alliance, Faith Action Network, King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans, Seattle Human Services Coalition, Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness, Statewide Poverty Action Network, Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention, Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans, Washington Unitarian Universalist Voices for Justice, and many others.

Constitutional Amendments

SJR 8205

Vote YES to clean up residency requirements
- No Campaign Web Site
- Voters Pamphlet
The Washington Constitution currently contains two provisions relating to the length of time that a person must be a resident of Washington in order to vote. One of those provisions, article VI, section 1A, is inoperative because the United States Supreme Court ruled that voter residency requirements greater than 30 days are unconstitutional.

This amendment removes the inoperative provision, and allows a citizen to vote if they have resided in Washington, their county and precinct for 30 days.

This amendment passed the State Legislature unanimously.

Endorsements and Supporters include: The Stranger

SJR 8206

Additional contributions to rainy day fund?
- No Campaign Web Site
- Voters Pamphlet
We lean No but don't have a strong recommendation on this one. There are good progressives on either side. While we are all for a rainy day fund, we have concerns that SJR 8206 would require greater contributions to the fund, while making it almost impossible to tap even when times are hardest.

The state maintains a budget stabilization account, called "The Rainy Day Fund", into which the legislature must contribute 1% of revenues from the general fund. This account can be tapped in case of catastrophe, or when state job growth in the state is less than 1%.

This amendment would require additional contributions to the budget stabilization account in times of "extraordinary revenue growth". Three-fourths of that growth would go to the fund.

Some progressive legislators and organizations are concerned that the amendment would make it harder to tap revenue growth to repair budget cuts made during hard times. The current rainy day fund remains underutilized despite the budget cutbacks caused by the great recession.

The state senate passed this amendment unanimously. The state house passed this amendment 76 to 10.

Opposed by the Washington State Labor Council and The Stranger.

Clark County

Proposition #1

Vote YES to Save Our Buses
Community leaders are proposing a 0.2 percent increase in the sales tax to save our bus, commuter, and connector service from a devastating 35 percent cut.

C-TRAN has already closed a $96 million shortfall by cutting spending, increasing efficiency, and increasing user fares. Without additional funding, 2 of every 5 buses would be removed from service in our communities.

Endorsements and Supporters include: The Arc of Southwest Washington, Amalgamated Transit Union 757, Carpenters Local 156, Clark County Chapter - National Federation for the Blind, Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council, Columbia River Economic Development Council, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, SW Washington Central Labor Council, IBEW Local 48, Transportation Choices Coalition, Vancouver Downtown Association, Vancouver Freight Alliance, 17th District Democratics, 49th Democrats

Seattle

City of Seattle, Proposition #1

Vote YES to renew the Families and Education Levy
Seattle's kids deserve our support. Proposition #1 is a renewal of the Families and Education Levy, first passed in 1990. The Families & Education Levy will direct $232 million to Seattle's most vulnerable kids over the next seven years. Your "Yes" vote this November will support enhanced academic programs, early learning programs, school-based health clinics, extra learning time and summer school, and college readiness programs.

Proposition #1 will continue to cost the average homeowner about $125 a year.

Endorsements and Supporters include: United Way of King County, , League of Education Voters, National Women's Political Caucus of Washington, The Stranger, SEIU Healthcare 775NW, SEIU Local 925, Seattle Education Association, Seattle Council PTSA, various Democratic district organizations, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Greater Seattle Business Association, Minority Executive Directors Coalition, YMCA of Greater Seattle

Transportation Benefit District 1, Proposition #1

Vote YES on Proposition 1: Streets For All Seattle
Proposition 1 is a down payment on becoming a 21st Century great American city. It's a balanced $204 million investment that will connect our neighborhoods with fast, reliable transit service, double our annual investment in sidewalks, nearly double the number of neighborhood repaving projects we do every year, and expand family-friendly bicycle infrastructure.

It's thousands of smart, simple, improvements that will make our transportation system work better for everyone, all funded through a $60 vehicle license fee which expires after 10 years. A citizen oversight panel will provide additional oversight and accountability for funding of these transportation improvements.

Endorsements and Supporters include: Transportation Choices Coalition, Futurewise, , Washington Conservation Voters, Cascade Bicycle Club, Sierra Club, The Stranger, SEIU Healthcare 775NW, M.L. King County Labor Council, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO District 751, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77, Labors Local 1239, Professional and Technical Employees Local 17, Teamsters Joint Council, No. 28, People's Waterfront Coalition, Washington Environmental Council

Spokane

City of Spokane, Proposition #1

Yes On Community Bill of Rights
- Web Site
No on Community Bill of Rights
- Web Site
There is not a clear progressive recommendation on this measure. It is based on important principles but also faces significant implementation challenges. Proposition 1 is a controversial measure that would amend the City Charter to add a Community Bill of Rights, which contains provisions that seek to build a healthy, sustainable and democratic Spokane. The proposition seeks to give neighborhoods the ability to veto certain development projects, expand protections for certain waterways, establish constitutional workplace protections, and revoke the treatment of corporations as persons under local law.

The values that inspire Proposition 1 are what we should aspire to and work towards. But there are significant concerns about the details of how it is written and would be implemented. These concerns include the proposition's cost and funding, its legality and enforceability, and its potential to generate extensive litigation.

Yakima

Yakima County, Proposition #1

YES on Home Rule
Voting YES on Proposition #1 starts a two year process of reforming county government. Under the current system, three county commissioners hold all legislative and executive power. Home rule allows the people to propose a system that works best for Yakima County, increase accountability, and build in checks and balances with a new county charter--the Constitution for the county. Six other Washington counties have adopted such home rule charters.

If Proposition #1 passes, elected "freeholders" have until 2013 to draft a county charter. Information on candidates for freeholder is available from the Yakima Herald and in the Voter's Pamphlet.

Once the charter is proposed by freeholders, voters will have an opportunity to approve the new charter or keep the current form of government.