Well, it’s official: The 2015 general election has now been certified by Washington State’s thirty-nine counties, and as we projected earlier this month, turnout ended up between 38% and 39% (to be precise, 38.45% statewide), which means it’s officially the worst in recorded state history. The previous low of 40.18% was set in 1985. Below is […]
Monthly Archives: November 2015
Posted inElections, Legislative Advocacy, Litigation, Policy Topics
New legal challenge filed against Tim Eyman’s hostage-taking I‑1366 in Superior Court
With Washington’s 2015 general election on the verge of being certified, the time has come to continue the fight against Tim Eyman’s I‑1366 in the courts. Accordingly, attorneys with Pacifica Law Group have filed a new lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that I‑1366 exceeds the scope of the initiative power and violates multiple provisions of […]
Posted inElections
Democrat John Bel Edwards elected Governor of Louisiana in a stunning runoff upset
Bayou State voters shocked the Louisiana Republican Party and pundits across the country Saturday night, overwhelmingly choosing Democratic State Representative John Bel Edwards as the next governor of Louisiana over the once-heavy favorite, U.S. Republican Senator David Vitter, a victor of many past statewide elections. Edwards, forty-nine, currently represents Louisiana’s 72nd District in its House […]
Posted inCivil Liberties, Policy Topics, World Commmunity
Shameful: U.S. House passes bill to effectively stop Syrian refugees from coming to America
The United States House of Representatives today disgraced itself by voting overwhelmingly to approve a Republican-backed bill intended to effectively block America from taking in more Syrian refugees. The vote on the legislation was two hundred and eighty-nine to one hundred and thirty-seven, with forty-seven Democrats shamefully joining nearly all the Republicans in voting aye. H.R. […]
Posted inCivil Liberties, Legislative Advocacy, Policy Topics
The disgusting extremism of Republican Jay Rodne, Snoqualmie’s own resident bigot
Over the past few days, we’ve seen a vile escalation of anti-refugee rhetoric from some of the Republican Party’s most bombastic figures, including presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the wake of the horrific attacks in Paris, France. A number of Republican governors have also gotten into the act, declaring that the […]
Posted inPolicy Topics, Public Planning, Public Service
Sound Transit identifies Peter Rogoff as its top choice to succeed outgoing CEO Joni Earl
It looks like Sound Transit’s search for a new permanent CEO has come to an end. Today, the agency announced its search committee is recommending a high-caliber, distinguished candidate to succeed outgoing executive Joni Earl. His name is Peter M. Rogoff, and he previously served as Federal Transit Administrator prior to assuming the post of Under […]
Posted inElections
Tim Eyman announces new initiative for 2016
For-profit initiative promoter Tim Eyman announced that he plans to appear in Olympia tomorrow with his sidekicks Jack and Mike Fagan to announce a new initiative for 2016, which Eyman is calling his “back-up initiative” for I‑1366. (I‑1366 was the hostage-taking measure that appeared on this year’s ballot; it would cut the sales tax by […]
Posted inElections, Live Coverage
Liveblogging the second 2016 Democratic Presidential Debate from the great Northwest
Good evening, and welcome to NPI’s live coverage of the second Democratic presidential debate of the 2016 cycle. Several NPI staff and board members will be watching the debate from Cannon Beach and sharing impressions of the debate as it progresses. The debate is being broadcast by CBS and its affiliates. Courtesy of CBS, here’s […]
Posted inElections, Legislative Advocacy
A progressive Legislature, not Eyman’s 1366, can fix Washington’s regressive tax system
Within hours of Election Night 2015, after it had become apparent that Tim Eyman’s hostage-taking I‑1366 had too much of a head start in early ballots to be defeated, multiple commentators with a thirst for progressive tax reform began floating the idea of using I‑1366 as a springboard to get the job started, reasoning that […]
Posted inHolidays
Happy Veterans Day 2015!
Today we pause to thank the many brave men and women who have valiantly served our country in the armed forces, defending this great nation so that the rest of us may go about our lives freely and peacefully. We at NPI are especially grateful for the service of our own Rick Hegdahl (U.S. Navy […]
Posted inElections
Washington State will likely set a new record low for general election turnout this year
As of this evening, it’s been one week since Election Night 2015, and the number of ballots still awaiting processing by county elections officials has dwindled to less than thirty-three thousand statewide. Turnout currently stands at 37.44%, and it looks like it will end up under forty percent, well below Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s […]
Posted inElections
Lisa Herbold, Shannon Braddock separated by only six votes in Seattle’s District #1
Talk about a razor-thin race: In the contest for Seattle City Council, District #1, Top Two finalists Lisa Herbold and Shannon Braddock are now separated by a mere six votes — out of over twenty-two thousand cast! That’s a margin of one household. Take a look at the numbers following the latest tabulation: City of […]
Posted inElections
Opposition to Tim Eyman’s I‑1366 climbs above 48% across Washington State
Nearly one week after Election Day 2015, opposition to Tim Eyman’s I‑1366 is still rising as late ballots continue to be counted. Today, the NO vote statewide surpassed 48%, an important milestone, and now stands at 670,085 votes. About 68,473 ballots remain to be processed by county elections officials, according to the latest estimate. The […]
Posted inElections
RE: Some campaign tactics to rethink
This morning, The Spokesman-Review’s Olympia correspondent and political columnist Jim Camden filed a “Sunday Spin” column commenting on the unsuccessful NO on I‑1366 campaign that we were a part of, suggesting that the coalition relied on old tactics that have not worked in the past. He writes: Opponents of Tim Eyman’s regular ballot measures for […]