(The Center Square) – Backers of Initiative 2066 turned in more than 431,000 signatures Tuesday afternoon to the Secretary of State’s Office in Tumwater with the hope of getting the measure to protect energy choices like natural gas and propane on this November’s ballot.
The Building Industry Association of Washington, Let’s Go Washington and other partners held two news conferences on Tuesday, one at noon in Redmond and another at 3 p.m. at SOS headquarters to deliver signatures.
“We’re turning in today for Initiative 2066, which would prevent the state from implementing a natural gas ban, 431,063 signatures,” said Brian Heywood, the man behind with Let’s Go Washington voter advocacy organization, at the latter event.
A crowd of a few dozen supporters cheered as more than 18 boxes of signed petitions were loaded onto rolling carts and wheeled inside for verification.
State law requires the submission of 324,516 valid signatures from registered Washington voters to qualify. That figure is based on the number of votes cast during the last gubernatorial election.