County Democrats recommends votes on two important State measures

Vote Yes on I-1000/R-88; Vote No on I-976

— from David Turnoy, Chair, San Juan County Democrats —

On the November 5 ballot, which you will receive the week of October 14, the San Juan County Democrats encourage voting YES to Approve I-1000/R88 and voting NO to Reject I-976.

As the election approaches, I have two concerns I wish to share with you.

Vote YES to Approve I-1000/R88

The first regards Initiative 1000. Deceptive campaign signs are already being displayed on the islands – signs telling you to keep discrimination illegal, saying everyone should be equal under the law. This is very nice language, but it obscures the truth. To clarify, a Tim Eyman initiative in 1998 made liberal Washington one of only a handful of states without the ability to use affirmative action.

To remedy this situation, earlier this year the legislature passed Initiative 1000, allowing but not requiring the granting of preferential treatment to help make up for past discrimination or disadvantage; no quotas are to be established. Factors to be considered include those banned in 1998 (race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin) as well as sexual orientation, age, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, and honorable military discharge. But opponents of I-1000 have filed Referendum 88 to require a statewide vote on I-1000. If you believe, as I do, that we should not ignore past unequal treatment and disadvantages, and if you believe that at times preferential treatment is fair and in the public interest, please vote YES to APPROVE I-1000/R88.

Vote NO to Reject I-976

The other state initiative is I-976, the most recent anti-government initiative by Tim Eyman. It seeks to cut transportation funding for projects across Washington state, eliminating the resources needed to fix dangerous highways, retrofit bridges and overpasses for earthquake safety, fund transit, expand light rail, maintain ferries, build voter-approved projects, improve freight corridors, invest in basic street maintenance and maintain funding for the Washington State Patrol. You have probably already seen commercials on TV that feature members of the State Patrol urging you to vote against this measure. Please listen to them and vote NO on I-976.