Early election results show I-2066 a tossup, other 3 WA ballot initiatives on track to fail

With just over 2.6 million votes counted in Washington state, early results indicate that Initiative 2117, Initiative 2109 and Initiative 2124 are on track to fail, but Initiative 2066 is passing by a slim margin of 51.2% to 48.8% so far.

If it passes, I-2066 would repeal statewide restrictions on natural gas, and allow Puget Sound Energy to incentivize its customers to use gas-powered appliances.

The four statewide initiatives, backed by conservative political action committee Let’s Go Washington, each aimed to repeal or amend a recent piece of statewide legislation. I-2117 would have repealed Washington’s statewide carbon emissions cap, I-2109 would have repealed the state’s capital gains tax. and I-2124 would have let employees in the state opt out of the state’s mandatory long-term care program.

County and state officials will update results over the coming days and weeks, before the final count is certified on Dec. 5.

Initiative 2066 leads by slim margin

I-2066, which is the only initiative with a narrow lead in early tallies, would repeal parts of a 2024 law that pushes the state toward using more electricity and less natural gas. The initiative targets the Washington Decarbonization Act, which required Puget Sound Energy to report a single annual plan to the state, where it previously had several different reporting requirements.

The plan includes details on the company’s expected customer energy use and proposals to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas initiatives and transition from gas to electricity. Additionally, the law doesn’t allow PSE to offer rebates to customers for buying gas appliances, and requires the company to inform customers of any rebate available for buying electric appliances.

If it passes, I-2066 will amended the 2024 law to prohibit PSE from offering plans that restrict a customer’s access to gas, and allow the company to offer rebates for the purchase of gas appliances. It would require local governments and gas utilities to offer natural gas services. Additionally, under the initiative, any utility plan that disincentivizes or bans the use of natural gas would be prohibited.

Proponents of the ballot measure argue that it gives Washington residents the ability to choose the type of energy they would like in their homes or businesses, while broadening the availability of natural gas would lower energy prices.

Its opponents, on the other hand, claim that the measure would roll back necessary climate protections while increasing costs in the long run, since natural gas is less efficient than electricity.

Initiative 2124 trailing in WA election

I-2124 received the next-most votes, although it’s still on track to fail. As of Tuesday night, the ballot measure trails by a margin of 55.6% to 44.4%.

If the results hold, Washington’s statewide long-term care program will remain mandatory. Under current state law, all employees in Washington are required to pay a 0.58% tax that goes to a state-run long-term care insurance program, known as WA Cares. Everyone who pays into the program can get a pay out of up to $36,500 should they need long-term care services.

I-2124 would make the program optional. Under the proposal, WA Cares is still an option for those who choose to pay into it, but employees can opt out of the program as well.

The measure’s proponents argue that it allows Washingtonians to choose how they allocate their money, instead of being forced into participating in the program. Additionally, they claim that some pay more money in the additional tax than the $36,500 they could receive, and that the amount only covers a few months of care.

Its opponents argued that the measure would effectively do away with WA Cares, since it relies on tax revenue from high earners, who would be more likely to opt out. Without WA Cares, they argued, many Washingtonians would have no way to afford long-term care and would be forced to turn to private insurance, which tends to be more costly. Additionally, they point out that the burden of providing or paying for elderly care often falls on someone’s family or children, and disproportionately women. If someone opts out of WA Cares, their children, who didn’t have a say, would be left with the costs.

Initiative 2109 trailing

Washington’s capital gains tax appears likely to remain in place, as I-2109 is on pace to fail after preliminary election results were released Tuesday night. The ballot measure trails by a margin of 63.3% to 36.7%.

The ballot measure targeted RCW 87.82, which imposes a 7% tax on capital gains for Washington residents. The law allows for a $250,000 deduction, and taxes net gains, meaning that it only applies to each dollar earned over that amount. So if an investment’s value rises by less than $250,000 between the time you buy and sell it, the tax doesn’t apply.

Money collected from the tax goes to education. The first $500 million each year is allocated to the state’s education legacy trust account, which funds new enrollments, financial aid, early education and childcare. All the remaining money collected from the tax goes to the state’s common school construction fund.

The measure’s proponents argued that RCW 87.82 was, in effect, a form of income tax. Since Washington doesn’t have a statewide income tax, it therefore unfairly taxed those whose income comes from investments, potentially driving investors and business out of the state.

Its opponents, on the other hand, claimed that the initiative needlessly eliminates hundreds of millions of dollars in school funding each year, only to provide a tax break for the rich, as less than one percent of Washingtonians have to pay the state’s capital gains tax. In addition to the $250,000 deduction, the tax includes exemptions for retirement funds, family owned businesses, real estate and farms.

Initiative 2117 trailing

I-2117 would have repealed Washington’s “cap and invest” program, a program established by 2021’s Climate Commitment Act. Instead, the measure looks poised to fail. As of Tuesday night, the ballot measure trails by a margin of 61.8% to 38.2%..

“Cap and invest” established a limit to the amount of carbon emissions that businesses in the state can collectively use each year. The state then creates a set number of carbon emissions permits, totaling the statewide limit, which businesses can buy at an auction or trade with each other. The money that the state makes from selling these permits is then invested into sustainable infrastructure. Businesses, meanwhile, can only produce as many carbon emissions as they have the permits for. The program aims to slowly lower the emissions limit over time, and reduce statewide emissions by 95% by 2050.

Proponents of the ballot measure argue that requiring companies to purchase a permit in order to produce carbon emissions raises prices, particularly for gas and energy, which drives up the cost of living as a whole.

Its opponents argue that repealing the cap and invest program would increase the amount of pollution in Washington’s air and waters, while taking away crucial funds from sustainable infrastructure projects and the state’s transportation budget.