Resolution 993 – in Support of Making it Easier to Vote by Passing SB 5182
WHEREAS statewide “advisory votes” are not real ballot measures, but rather anti-tax propaganda created by Tim Eyman to look like ballot measures, and are a barrier to securing more robust participation because they confuse and mislead the electorate, negating enthusiasm for voting and activating an unhealthy, cynical state of mind;
WHEREAS academic research published by the University of California, Riverside shows that unnecessarily complex ballots increase voter fatigue, worsening problems like roll-off (which means voters stop voting on issues) inattention (meaning voters engage randomly instead of deliberately) and dropout (meaning voters decide not to vote at all);
WHEREAS “advisory votes” needlessly waste millions of tax dollars every year by increasing elections costs that Washington State taxpayers pay;
WHEREAS repeated polling by the Northwest Progressive Institute shows that most Washingtonians who have an opinion favor abolishing statewide “advisory votes”;
WHEREAS Senator Patty Kuderer has introduced Senate Bill 5182, which would repeal statewide “advisory votes” and replace them with truthful, useful information about the Legislature’s fiscal decisions in the voter’s pamphlet;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washington State Democratic Central Committee, which has prioritized the repeal of “advisory votes” since it began adopting legislative priorities agendas, calls upon the leadership of the Washington State Senate and the Washington State House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of Senate Bill 5182 in the 2022 legislative session;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to all Democratic representatives and Democratic state senators as well as to the Governor and Attorney General of the State of Washington.