November 12, 2019 CONTACT: Linda Yang (425-588-8011)
Leaders of the Let People Vote/ Reject Referendum 88 campaign claimed victory today as the statewide measure failed with nearly all votes counted across the state. Voters in 35 of the state’s 39 counties rejected the measure—often overwhelmingly. The referendum is failing in 75% of the state’s legislative districts.
Linda Yang, the group’s leader said, “We are pleased that voters of Washington State saw through the misleading ballot title and voted to re-affirm the principle of Equality for All. We were opposed by some of the strongest and most well-funded special interests ever assembled. Our coalition of volunteers from across the political spectrum defeated the Pro-88 campaign because voters didn’t want a new system of quotas based on race, nor did they want a massive new unaccountable government bureaucracy to implement it. Our group will continue to work to address economic and racial disparities in all aspects of government and society.”
John Carlson, the KVI morning host who led the original I-200 campaign said: “The Approve Referendum 88 campaign had every advantage including a 5 – 1 fundraising edge in the final 30 days; a deceptive ballot title that denied what the initiative’s content allowed; endorsements from every large daily newspaper; and a massive voter turnout in the city of Seattle. Referendum 88 failed because the people of Washington believe civil rights means treating people equally, regardless of race.”
Civil Rights Lawyer Yvonne Kinoshita Ward added, “Despite a multimillion-dollar campaign by powerful insiders, voters turned out in surprisingly high numbers to reject racial discrimination when granting jobs, school admissions, and contracts. Washington voters affirmed that human dignity means judging each of us by the content of our character rather than the color of our skin.”
Thomas Jarrard, a Spokane attorney, Marine veteran and leader of vets opposing the measure said, “We are so proud of our Washington veterans, the Washington State Veterans Bar Association and the American Legion. They really stepped up on short notice to ensure we got the word out that R-88 would have eliminated the veterans’ preference. “
Referendum 88 was a response to Initiative 1000, passed by the state legislature in July, which reinstated racial preferences in state contracts, college admissions and hiring; established a massive government bureaucracy to enforce them; and eliminated the 100-plus year veterans’ job preference.
I-1000 was put on hold when opponents gathered 200,000 signatures to put the measure to a public vote as Referendum 88.
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