OLYMPIA — A sample review conducted by the Washington Secretary of State’s Office indicates supporters of Initiative 645 have submitted sufficient signatures to qualify the measure for the Nov. general election ballot, the office confirmed Wednesday. The measure seeks to repeal the income tax that state lawmakers approved earlier this year for households reporting annual income above $1 million.
What the review found and next steps
The Secretary of State has not completed a full certification, but the preliminary check of a random sample of submitted petitions points to enough valid signatures for certification. Once the office completes its verification, it will transmit a certification containing the initiative’s serial number and title to counties for placement on the statewide ballot.
"The Secretary of State will transmit a certification containing the measure’s serial number and title to each county for placement on the next state general election ballot within a few weeks,"
Under state law, initiatives to the people must show 308,911 valid signatures to qualify; to account for commonly rejected entries, campaigns typically aim for at least 390,000. The group behind I-645, Let's Go Washington, has said it collected more than 500,000 signatures, though that claim has yet to be fully verified by the Secretary of State.
What I-645 would do and who’s involved
The ballot measure would overturn the newly enacted tax that applies a 9.9% rate to household income above $1 million. The law was approved by the Legislature earlier this year, prompting opposition from conservative groups who quickly organized a referendum-style initiative to rescind it.
- Threshold for qualification: 308,911 valid signatures
- Recommended submissions to offset rejections: 390,000
- Signatures claimed by proponents: more than 500,000 (not yet verified)
Let's Go Washington, the conservative political action group sponsoring the measure, has led similar repeal efforts in past years. Brian Heywood, the group's founder, issued a statement praising the review and criticizing state officials for what he described as attempts to block the initiative process.
“We’re grateful for the dedication of the Secretary of State’s office to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of signatures gathered are validly counted. Today’s verification proves that Washingtonians will have their voice heard this November, no matter how hard [Senator] Jamie Pedersen and [Governor] Bob Ferguson worked to keep them out of the process,”
Opposition response
On Tuesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson—appearing in his personal capacity alongside educators, business owners, labor leaders and child care advocates—announced a campaign opposing I-645. Ferguson framed the choice for voters as between maintaining investments in education, child care and targeted relief for working families, or rescinding the new tax. He also reiterated a pledge to veto changes he views as harmful, though the specifics of that pledge relate to separate legislation.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Qualification threshold | 308,911 valid signatures |
| Recommended submission | ~390,000 signatures |
| Tax rate on incomes above $1 million | 9.9% |
If fully certified, I-645 will appear on the November ballot and be decided by voters statewide. The Secretary of State’s Office said a formal transmission to county election officials will occur within a few weeks after certification, triggering campaign activity from both supporters and opponents in the months leading up to the general election.
Local voters can expect heightened messaging around how the tax affects state revenues and public services, and organizations on both sides will likely ramp up outreach before ballots are finalized. The Secretary of State’s full verification and final certification remain pending; the office’s preliminary sampling, however, is the milestone that usually signals a likely ballot qualification.
