OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state voters had the opportunity to cast their vote on four ballot initiatives in the 2024 election, which if passed would each have major ramifications on policy.
Three initiatives are projected to fail: Initiative 2109 and Initiative 2117 were both defeated on Tuesday night. After a second round of ballot returns, Initiative 2124 was also projected to fail.
I-2109 would have repealed Washington's capital gains tax that is imposed annually on the sale or exchange of capital assets. Over 1.6 million votes, or 63.2%, were in favor of rejecting the initiative, while 36.7%, or just over 930,000 votes were in favor of passing the initiative. This is with 60% of votes reported.
I-2117 would have repealed the Climate Commitment Act, which requires the largest polluters to pay into a fund to compensate for carbon emissions. 61.7% or over 1.5 million votes were counted to reject I-2117, while 38.3% or over 972,000 votes were to approve the initiative. This also was with 60% of votes reported Tuesday night.
I-2124 would have allowed anyone to opt out of the WA Cares Fund, which provides money for long-term care insurance if it passes. So far, over 1.3 million votes or 55.8% have rejected the initiative, while just over 1 million votes or 44.2% approved of the initiative.
Initiative 2066 is too close to call.
I-2066 would reinforce natural gas access in Washington state if it passes. If it fails, it would clear a path for utility companies to develop electrification plans. 51.7% or 1,288,228 votes so far have been cast to approve the initiative, while 48.8% or 1,227,068 have voted to reject.
Additional results are typically released daily, so check back with KING 5 for updates on each of the two outstanding initiative races.