In six separate votes since 1993, Washington voters have approved some kind of 2/3 rule for legislators to raise taxes. Every time, Democrats in the Legislature and their allies, including state employee unions, have found one way or another to kill off the 2/3 rules. Their latest is a lawsuit against I-1366, which voters passed overwhelmingly in November.
Rather than institute a 2/3 rule directly, as past initiatives have done, I-1366 said legislators should give voters a chance to enact a 2/3 rule through a constitutional amendment (changes to Washington’s constitution must originate with the Legislature). If they don’t give voters that opportunity, the state sales tax will be cut by a penny.
That fight is being played out at the state Supreme Court for now, but it got the folks over at the Washington Policy Center thinking: what do voters want to see happen if the court strikes down I-1366? So they commissioned a poll from respected Washington polling firm Elway Research. The answers Elway received probably won’t surprise you, but they will give some legislative Democrats heartburn.
When asked if there should be requirement for a supermajority vote in the legislature to raise taxes, 60% of the survey respondents said yes, there should be.
But even worse news for Democrats was the response to this question: “If the state supreme court rules that the voter-approved initiative is unconstitutional, what should the legislature do?” An overwhelming 65% said legislators should give voters a chance to weigh in and vote on a constitutional amendment.
That’s not good news for Democrats who hope they issue will just quietly fade away. Why do the state’s Democrats have such a hard time respecting the voters’ will, which they’ve clearly expressed six separate times? Probably because the Democrats hold tax increases in higher regard than they do the voters.
