As reported by The Center Square, LGW turned in more than 511,000 signatures on July 2 to the office of SOS Steve Hobbs. About 309,000 valid voter signatures were needed to qualify the measure for the ballot.

Carleen Johnson
The Center Square Washington

The Washington Secretary of State notified Let’s Go Washington Wednesday afternoon that the initiative to repeal the income tax (IP26-645) has been certified for November’s ballot.

“With a validity rate of 82.3%, IP-645 had more than enough valid signatures to get the measure in front of voters,” according to a news release from LGW emailed to The Center Square.

As reported by The Center Square, LGW turned in more than 511,000 signatures on July 2 to the office of SOS Steve Hobbs. About 309,000 valid voter signatures were needed to qualify the measure for the ballot.

SOS conducts a statistically reliable review of submitted signatures to confirm that the initiative has met the legal threshold for certification. LGW supporters observed the process as it was conducted.

As reported by The Center Square, Governor Bob Ferguson and speakers at Tuesday’s launch of a campaign against the income tax repeal, spoke at length about the programs that they said would be devastated by the measure’s passage.

“I am confident Washingtonians will see through this attempt to roll back our progress, because that’s what they have done before,” Ferguson said.

LGW contends if speakers had read the text of I-645, “they would know that the sales tax reductions, business exemptions, and benefits for family programs will remain uncut,” according to the LGW release.

“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,” said LGW Founder Brian Heywood in the release.

“Today’s verification proves that Washingtonians will have their voice heard this November, no matter how hard Jamie Pedersen and Bob Ferguson worked to keep them out of the process.

“We are proud to lead the fight to protect families and small businesses from Olympia expanding their state income tax on all Washingtonians. We’ll continue setting the record straight, exposing the misinformation, and making sure voters understand that voting yes on I-645 will protect benefits for families, protect their wallet, and hold lawmakers in Olympia accountable for their reckless spending,” Heywood’s statement said.

This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.