The Newspaper
Voter initiatives to outlaw photo enforcement gained a second wind this week in Texas and Washington state as enough signatures have been gathered to force the issue onto the November ballot. In both Baytown, Texas and Mukilteo, Washington, organizers required a renewed effort to meet all of the legal requirements. Later today in the Lone Star State, SaferBaytown.com leader Byron Schirmbeck will turn in a second batch of signatures to the city clerk’s office.
He has collected 3.4 million signatures from Washington state voters in the past decade, but now referendum guru Tim Eyman has set his sights on gathering just 1804 names — in his own home town. Eyman on Monday joined forces with Campaign for Liberty and the group BanCams.com to eliminate speed cameras and red light cameras from Mukilteo, a town of about 18,000 residents. Until now, Eyman has deliberately avoided becoming ensnared in local politics, but the traffic camera issue gave him no choice.
Residents fed up with the promotion of red light cameras and speed cameras in Longview, Washington are looking to cut off the ability of city council members to impose the technology. Local activists Mike Wallin and Dave Grumbois last week announced a drive to collect the 2786 signatures needed to give voters a chance at the ballot box to block the expected installation of automated ticketing machines in the community of 35,000.