Washington: Initiative process isn’t broken: Don’t ‘fix’ it

Tue, Mar 4 2014 — Source: Bellingham Herald

James Madison to Washington lawmakers: Please keep your mitts off the state’s petition process.

Some legislators are making yet another attempt to throttle the signature-gathering that lies at the core of Washingtonians’ right to mount initiatives and referendums. House Bill 2552, which cleared the House of Representatives last week, would entangle petitioners in a slew of new restrictions. The clear purpose is to make it harder for citizens to get a measure on the ballot.

Any effort to burden or complicate signature-gathering has constitutional implications. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and the right “to petition the government for redress of grievances.”

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