Democracy for Me, Not for Thee: Olympia Targets the Initiative Process

The Legislature has an obligation spelled out plainly in the Washington Constitution: when voters put an initiative before lawmakers, it “shall take precedence over all other measures in the legislature except appropriation bills.” That isn’t some vague suggestion. It’s a constitutional mandate meant to protect citizen power when the Legislature doesn’t reflect the will of the people. In the 2025-26 session there are two initiatives before lawmakers (concerning parental rights and fairness in girls’ sports) that have met the requirements and deserve hearings and votes.

Instead of following that duty, legislative leadership has largely ignored these citizen-backed measures. While Republican lawmakers have held unofficial “listening sessions” in place of hearings to let people make their voices known, Democrat leaders won’t allow official deliberation on them. They’re letting them languish while turning their attention to SB 5973, effectively an “initiative killer.” They’ve already tried this last year with a similar measure.

The Democrat sponsors  says SB 5973 is about “integrity.” But that claim doesn’t hold up when you look at what’s actually getting hearings and votes this session. On the docket ahead of taking action on citizen initiatives are debates and committee time for things like banning tires and declawing cats.

That’s not a coincidence, and that’s not democracy. That’s obstruction.

SB 5973 would pile new hurdles onto an already difficult process: a requirement to show early support before moving forward, restrictions on how signatures can be gathered, and new penalties that create legal risk for sponsors and volunteers.

This bill could be voted on by the Senate as soon as this week.

Tell them to do their constitutional duty and act on the initiatives already before them and to vote NO on SB 5973.

Supporters say it protects the process, but critics who believe in citizen democracy see it as a way to choke it. There haven’t been serious credibility concerns about the initiatives themselves, only political opposition to the changes they would make.

The current and former Secretary of State have raised concerns because the bill adds burdens without addressing proven systemic problems.

The initiative process exists because there must be a check when the Legislature drifts from the people’s will. It lets citizens collect signatures and deliver issues either back to lawmakers for a vote or straight to the ballot for voters to decide. Once properly before the Legislature, the constitution says they must treat it as a priority. Yet lawmakers are doing almost everything else first.

This isn’t abstract. It’s about whether voters get a real voice or are shut out when their priorities diverge from those of legislative leadership. Reach out to your state senators and representatives.

Tell them to do their constitutional duty and act on the initiatives already before them and to vote NO on SB 5973.

Protect the people’s right to direct lawmaking and keep democracy alive in Washington.