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53 stories matching referendum
- The Confusion of the Ballot: Understanding the Initiative and Referendum
Voters struggle to decipher the complex state measures governing lawmaking, recall, and public utilities ahead of the November 7th election.
- The Petitions Were Honeycombed With Fraud—So Voters Got Referendum No. 3
After the Washington Supreme Court described initiative petitions as a 'house of cards' riddled with fraud, the 1915 Legislature passed a safeguard now before voters as Referendum No. 3.
- The Battle for Budget Transparency
Voters are urged to support Referendum No. 9 to force public officials to publish expenditure estimates and hold open hearings.
- The Fight for the Ballot Box
A legislative attempt to curb 'professional petition pushers' aims to ensure only legal voters influence state law.
- The Last Chance for a Legal Drink
As Washington's state 'bone dry' law faces a referendum challenge, officials find the petition drive is losing steam due to duplicate signatures.
- The Fight to Modernize City Hall
Seattle's Chamber of Commerce debates radical changes to city governance, including the push for initiative and referendum to curb council power.
- State Labor President Pushes for Direct Legislation
Charlie Case challenges Everett union members to fight for initiative, referendum, and recall powers as the primary civic issue.
- The Fight for Direct Democracy
Labor journals lobby for the Initiative and Referendum to bypass legislative corruption and ensure the people have the final say on state law.
- The Fight to Tighten the Initiative Process
A landmark legislative struggle to regulate how Washingtonians propose and recall laws and public officials.
- The Most Progressive Session in Years
Washington's legislature scores a victory for labor with new laws on workmen's compensation, an eight-hour day for women, and the initiative and referendum.
- The City That Voted to Grow: Seattle's 1892 Infrastructure Bond Bonanza
In a massive, city-wide referendum, Seattle residents went to the polls in March 1892 to approve a sweeping expansion of water, sewer, and municipal works that literally laid the foundation for the modern city.
- Cleaning Up the Ballot Box
Legislators move to close loopholes that allowed fraudulent signatures to threaten the integrity of Washington's direct democracy.
- The Dog on Trial: A Deadlocked Jury in Newport
A man admitted shooting George H. Jones's dog but argued the animal was vicious. The justice court hearing became a referendum on the dog itself—and the jury could not agree.
- The Editor Who Told the Populists to Cancel Their Subscriptions
A small-town Washington editor refuses to let a secret Populist club run the Fourth of July, and invites any reader who disagrees to stop his paper.
- Everett Labor Council Reports Progress on Unionizing Local Theaters and Shops
The Everett Trades Council secures a victory for stage employees and retail clerks while donating to the orphans' home.
- Everett Eyes the 'Commission Plan' for City Government
Following a lecture by a Spokane commissioner, Everett citizens push to abandon ward politics in favor of a new municipal structure.
- The Grange Declares Economic War
Washington state farmers and laborers forge a historic alliance to demand fair trade and challenge the monopoly power of the era.
- Benton County Votes in the 1924 Election
Voters of White Bluffs and Benton County decide local and national races as the Republican ticket sweeps the state.
- City Council Faces Backlash Over Secret Salary Hike
Tacoma politicians attempt to abolish civil service and quadruple their own pay while blocking the popular commission government plan.
- The Populists Assemble in Tacoma
Dr. Fred L. Goddard secures the nomination for Mayor on a platform of municipal reform and worker protections.
- The Political Heist of 1909
Everett’s labor leaders decry a state legislative session that killed pro-worker laws and undermined the direct primary, centralizing power back into the hands of party machines and corporations.
- A United Front for Labor
The Western Federation of Miners moves to rejoin the American Federation of Labor, signaling a critical shift in the power of organized mining interests.
- The Day Seattle Voted on the Bottle
In a town-defining referendum in 1886, Seattle voters decisively rejected a prohibition measure, choosing the saloon over the temperance movement.
- The Fight for City Hall Reform
A committee clash over charter reform and the initiative process reveals deep divisions in Seattle's civic governance.
- The Union Candidates for Everett's New Commission
Labor Journal highlights the three union-card carriers entering the race for city commission under Everett's new 1912 charter.