Minutes ago, by a vote of 54-43, the Washington State House of Representatives passed the Northwest Progressive Institute’s legislation to make it easier to vote in Washington State by replacing the anti-tax messages known as “advisory votes” with an online primer on the state’s finances that is accurate and truthful. The bill, previously approved by the Washington State Senate in February, now goes to Governor Jay Inslee.

Championed by Senator Patty Kuderer and Representative Amy Walen (both D-48th District: Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond), SB 5082 will liberate our ballots from what are really push polls… fake ballot measures created by Tim Eyman that interrupt the act of voting, saving taxpayers millions of dollars every year in ballot design, printing, and tabulation costs.

“Tonight’s vote by the House of Representatives in favor of SB 5082 is the culmination of years of work by a lot of people and organizations to remove a barrier to voting in Washington State,” said NPI founder and executive director Andrew Villeneuve, who has spent years working on the legislation with NPI Legislative Director Kathy Sakahara and the NPI staff.

“The adoption of SB 5082 by both chambers of our Legislature is a huge win for voters and taxpayers that we’ll be celebrating for months and years to come.”

“In Washington, we believe that voting should be easy and that the ballot is sacred. It’s where we make the crucial decisions about who represents us and how we should govern ourselves. It is not an appropriate place for advertising or polling of any kind. In Washington, we also believe the people deserve truthful, accurate information about the decisions made by our elected representatives. Our bill makes it easier for them to get that information. It offers real transparency.”

“Many people worked with our team at NPI to make this victory possible. On behalf of all of our board and staff, I extend our deepest thanks to Senator Patty Kuderer and Representative Amy Walen. They have been outstanding champions for this legislation in Olympia. They are exemplary legislators. We have enjoyed sharing this journey with them.”

“Our heartfelt thanks also go to Majority Leaders Andy Billig and Joe Fitzgibbon and our state’s two State Government Committee Chairs, Senator Sam Hunt and Representative Bill Ramos. They believed in this bill and made sure that it was a priority this year.”

“Finally, we thank every representative and senator who voted for our bill. We especially commend Republican Senator Brad Hawkins, who was alone among his Republican colleagues in voting yes and recognizing that this bill is good public policy.”

“Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, King County Elections Director Julie Wise, Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall, and many other county auditors joined us in making the case for this bill to the Legislature. They have seen firsthand that ‘advisory votes’ are harmful and don’t belong on our ballots. Our elections officials spoke with clarity and moral conviction in the public hearings, and we are grateful for their leadership.”

“Indispensable support for our bill was provided by the Washington Voting Justice Coalition and Balance Our Tax Code, coalitions working for a better future to which NPI belongs. Over sixty organizations joined them and NPI in asking the House to prioritize this bill and send it on to Governor Inslee. Within twenty-four hours of receiving the joint letter we sent, the House took action. That is what responsible and responsive legislating looks like!”