Washington voters could soon be asked to decide the fate of the state's new income tax on its wealthiest residents, as a repeal campaign races toward a critical deadline. Thursday marks the cutoff for organizers to turn in the signatures needed to place a measure on the November ballot that would undo the so-called millionaire tax, one of the most contentious fiscal fights the state has seen in years.
If the measure qualifies, the question would go directly to voters this fall, giving the public the final say over whether the controversial income tax stays on the books. Supporters of the effort are framing it as a chance for ordinary residents to weigh in on a policy they argue was pushed through without their consent, while the state government defends it as a fair way to raise revenue from those most able to pay.
The petition drive has been led by the group Let's Go Washington, founded by Brian Heywood, which has spent the past weeks gathering signatures across the state. The organization has positioned itself at the center of the campaign to overturn the tax, mobilizing volunteers and supporters to meet the tight timeline set by state election rules.
By law, the campaign needs to submit a little over 324,000 valid signatures from registered voters to make the ballot. As of last week, Let's Go Washington said it had collected around 425,000 signatures, a cushion intended to absorb the inevitable share of names that are disqualified during the verification process and still leave enough to clear the threshold.
The tax at the heart of the dispute was approved earlier this year by Governor Bob Ferguson. Under the measure, the state would begin collecting billions of dollars starting in 2029 from any individual or household reporting more than one million dollars in income a year, a levy that would mark a significant shift in how Washington funds its government.
Opponents of the repeal include most of the state's Democrats along with Governor Ferguson, who backed the tax and want to see it preserved. They argue the revenue is needed and that the burden falls only on the highest earners, setting up a clear political divide as the signature deadline approaches and the campaign moves toward a possible statewide vote.
With the Thursday deadline looming, attention now turns to whether the submitted signatures will survive the validation process and secure a place on the November ballot. If the measure qualifies, Washington residents will face a high-stakes choice in the fall over the future of the income tax, a decision that could reshape the state's finances for years to come.