BREAKING NEWS STORY
For more information, contact Steve Zemke
stevezemke (at) msn (dot) com
Tim Eyman’s current Initiative 917 petitions for $30 license tabs are invalid and violate Washington state law. He has resent “redesigned” petitions to his supporters but lies and tells them that signatures on the old petitions are “valid”.
This directly contradicts an announcement issued by the Washington State Secretary of State on Feb. 19, 2006 and posted on their website.
Amazingly, this is not the first time Eyman has done this and lied to his supporters. In 2003, as first reported by MajorityRules.org he printed invalid petitions for Initiative 807.
That time he forgot to print the correct initiative text on the back of the petition. He sent out new petitions late in the signature drive and never got enough new signatures on the valid petition. He then also lied to his supporters that the invalid petitions were legal and to send them in.
Eyman has again just sent out a letter to his supporters, enclosing a new copy of his I-917 petition. He says the “redesigned I-917 petition makes things easier” and to “copy it and send in the old ones.”
Never does he say he made a mistake. The petition is “redesigned” because Tim did not comply with a law passed last year by the Washington State Legislature. The law became effective on Jan 1, 2006.
EHB 1222 requires that all initiative petitions now carry the following statement to be signed by the petition gatherer:
I,…………., swear or affirm under penalty of law that I circulated this sheet of the foregoing petition, and that, to the best of my knowledge, every person who signed this sheet of the foregoing petition knowingly and without any compensation or promise of compensation willingly signed his or her true name and that the information provided therewith is true and correct. I further acknowledge that under chapter 29A.84 RCW, forgery of signatures on this petiton constitutes a class C felony, and that by offering any consideration or grautity any person to induce them to sign a petition a gross misdemeanor, such violations being punishable by fine or imprisonment or both.
The Secretary of State’s Office declares that “It is the interpretation of the Secretary of State that this declaration must not only be printed on the back side of the petition sheet, but must also be signed by the signature gatherer, and the signature gatherer’s name must be printed in the appropriate location. To interpret the law as not requiring the oath would render the new law meaningless. It is therefore the interpretation of the Office of the Secretary of State that lack of a signature on the declaration will cause the petition sheet to be rejected pursuant to RCW 29A.72.170(1).
Now what is it that Tim does not understand about the official intrepretation of the law by the Secretary of State. Somehow he found out the petitions were invalid and decided to pay for reprinting them and remailing them.
In his letter, however he tells his supporters “All the signatures, whether on the old petition or redesigned petition, are valid and will count so get them filled out and sent back to me as soon as possible.” He then says “But we ask everyone to start using the new, redesigned petition because it’s better.” Didn’t he really mean to say legal?
Initiative 917 is Eyman’s latest attempt to enact $30 license tabs. I-917 also would roll back about $1.5 billion in vehicle and light truck weight fees and annual motor home fees passed last year by the Washington State Legislature.
My friends over at Permanent Defense and HorsesAss who have been working together with me fighting Tim Eyman’s bad initiatives over the last several years will be adding comment as this story develops.
Initiative Assigned Number: 917
Filed: 01/09/2006
Sponsor Mr. Tim Eyman Mr. M. J. Fagan Mr. Leo J. Fagan PO Box 18250 Spokane, WA 99228 (425) 493-8707 Fax (425) 493-1027
Ballot Title Initiative Measure No. 917 concerns limiting motor vehicle charges This measure would cap motor vehicle registration charges at $30 per year, repeal taxes and fees exceeding the $30 limit, calculate vehicle taxes and fees based on purchase price, and retire certain bonds. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]
Ballot Measure Summary This measure would limit motor vehicle registration charges to $30 per year for vehicles weighing less than 22,000 pounds, and would repeal certain fees and charges exceeding the limit. Replacement and reflectorized plate fees would be reduced. A new valuation schedule based on purchase price would be used in calculating motor vehicle taxes and fees. Regional transit authorities would be required to retire or defease outstanding bonds pledging motor vehicle taxes as security for repayment.
