Part One in a four-part series on Let’s Go Washington’s Six Initiatives.
Here is the full series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.
This is the remarkable story of how average citizens can make a difference here in Washington State. The story is not over, and it will unfold during this election year of 2024.
It begins with Let’s Go Washington, a conservative citizen-action group. They set their sights on six major issues they wanted to see resolved, and so they were tasked with collecting over 2.6 million signatures, with nearly $7 million in expenses. They did it. The hard work and dedication of hundreds of people across the state has paid off, and we write this series of articles as a tribute to this noble cause in the story of our beloved Evergreen State.
The six initiatives are:
- Reasonable Police Pursuit (I-2113)
- Stop the Hidden Gas Tax (I-2117)
- Opt Out of Long-Term Government Care (I-2124)
- Repeal the Capital Gains Tax (I-2109)
- No State Income Tax (I-2111)
- Parental Notification (I-2081)
FPIW is proud to have played a supporting role. As an official signing location, we had the opportunity to interact with countless individuals tired of the status quo in Washington and ready for change. One man told our staffers after signing: “Now that was therapeutic.” The voice of the people needs to be heard in our state. It’s time for conservatives to rise up and DEFEND their values in the public square.
Turning in Signatures at FPIW Headquarters in Lynnwood, Washington
Success: Signature Totals for the Six Initiatives
Leader Brian Heywood (left) and Rep. Jim Walsh (right)
Now, legislators are left with a decision. They can either adopt the initiatives as proposed by Let’s Go Washington and each will become law, reject the initiatives and each measure will be placed on the ballot in November, or propose a different measure on the same subject to be placed on the ballot alongside the original initiative.
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The first initiative, which gained over 434,112 signatures, is I-2113, “Reasonable Police Pursuit,” which restores “the authority of a peace officer to engage in a vehicular pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law and the officer follows appropriate safety standards.”
In 2021, Washington’s Democrat-led legislature passed a measure that utterly handicapped police officers in their ability to engage in vehicular pursuits, even when they had reason to believe a crime had been committed or was going to be committed. They were forced to examine a checklist of instances in which they could pursue, and verify with several superiors before beginning the pursuit. If they misinterpreted the instances in which they could pursue, they were held liable.
Several disastrous incidents have highlighted the naïveté of such a law – in one instance, police officers were unable to pursue a vehicle that was recklessly speeding on the highway, because it was not a “violent crime.” Hours later, that same vehicle ran over and killed a child.
Let’s Go Washington’s ballot measure description explains that the initiative would restore common-sense guidelines and “pursuits would be allowed when the officer has a reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law, pursuit is necessary to identify or apprehend the person, the person poses a threat to the safety of others, those safety risks are greater than those of the pursuit, and a supervisor authorizes the pursuit.”
Since Let’s Go Washington gained all the requisite signatures, legislators will either vote to make I-2113 law, or we will see it on the ballot in November.
This victory is a perfect example of what can happen when conservatives stand together as one and allow our voices to be heard – we can push six initiatives that will protect and defend our rights to the forefront and demand that lawmakers take action on the issues that matter most in our daily lives.
If you want to join the fight, click here to apply to be on our team of DEFENDERS. The fight is not over!
Part One in a four-part series on Let’s Go Washington’s Six Initiatives.
Here is the full series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.
