To become involved in the initiative process, refer to specific requirements, cited throughout this guide, in the following legal documents:
Do you have questions or would you like additional information (other than legal advice)? Contact us.
These are the initiative petition steps. Find details for each step below.
- Seattle City Charter, Article IV, Section 1.A through .G
- Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Chapter 2.08
- Revised Code of Washington, (RCW) RCW29A.04.330, RCW29A.36.071, RCW29A.36.080, RCW29A.36.090, RCW29A.72.050, RCW35.21.005
- Initiative Petition Guide (this webpage, also available as a PDF)
- Full text of the proposed initiative petition:
- One paper copy, and
- One Word electronic copy
- A letter of transmittal containing the contact person's:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
Upon receiving the petition and transmittal, the City Clerk will date the petition and assign an initiative serial number.
The City Clerk will transmit the proposed initiative petition to the City Attorney's Office requesting a ballot title (RCW29A.36.071 and SMC2.08.010.)
The City Clerk will review for the following:
- Does the petition contain the name, address and phone number of petitioner or contact person? (SMC2.08.010)
- Is the petition typewritten and in a readable font? (SMC2.08.010)
- Is the proposed ordinance in ordinance format? (SMC2.08.010)
- Is the petition printed on single sheets of paper of good writing quality? (SMC2.08.030)
- Are the petition pages at least 8 ½" wide and 11" long, and not larger than 11" wide and 17" long? (SMC2.08.030)
- Is there a top margin of at least 1"? (SMC2.08.030)
- Are the signature lines numbered and are there not more than 20 signatures per page? (SMC2.08.030)
- Do the petition pages contain the warning and form as required by SMC2.08.040 and RCW35.21.005(2)?
- Is the complete text of the whole ordinance, or the section or part in question, included on the petition form? (SMC2.08.030; RCW35.21.005(1)(b))
- Is there an electronic copy (word processing or plain text file) of the ordinance included? (SMC2.08.010)
If approved, the City Clerk will also:
- Provide the ballot title to the petition coordinator (SMC2.08.010.B, SMC2.08.020).
- Provide a copy of the petition form to the Executive Director of the Ethics and Elections Commission (SMC2.08.010.B).
If the petition coordinator requests a change to the original document filed, the change will be considered a new filing. (File the document with changes according to Step 2.)
The ballot title must conform to the requirements of RCW29A.36.071 and RCW29A.72.050.
After preparation of the ballot title, the City Attorney must transmit it to the City Clerk, who must then file it with the King County Director of Records and Elections (SMC2.08.020).
After a ballot title prepared by the City Attorney's Office has been filed with King County Elections, any person dissatisfied with the ballot title has ten days, not including Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, to appeal the King County Superior Court. The decision of the superior court is final, and the ballot title or statement certified by the court will be the established ballot title (RCW29A.36.090).
The petition coordinator will have 180 days to collect the required number of signatures (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.B.; see also RCW35.21.005(8)). Begin counting on the day after the date of the letter providing notification of the approved ballot title. Include Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays in the count.
Example: Petition approved on Friday, and petitioner notified on the same day. Start counting 180 days starting with Saturday as day one.
Ten percent (10%) of the total votes cast for mayor at the last Mayoral election is the number of registered voter signatures needed to validate the initiative (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.B).
Example: 2021 Mayoral race - 265,203 votes were cast, and 26,520 valid signatures of registered Seattle voters will be required to qualify an initiative.
Contact with the City Clerk is recommended as the deadline approaches to schedule an appointment for the submission of the petitions.
At the time the petitions are filed, an estimate of the number of signatures and number of petition pages will be requested.
The pages should be numbered in sequence, beginning with 1 or 001, etc., in the upper right corner of each sheet.
The City Clerk will then verify the estimated number of pages and signatures submitted.
The City Clerk will transmit the petitions to King County Records and Elections Division within three business days after they have been filed (RCW35.21.005(4)).
King County Records and Elections Division will verify the validity of the signatures to determine sufficiency or insufficiency. (Refer to Step 4 regarding the percentage formula used to determine the number of valid signatures required.)
Terminal Date - Additional signatures
The date on which King County Records and Elections begins its determination will be set as the "terminal date." Additional pages of one or more signatures may be added to the petition by filing the same with the City Clerk prior to the terminal date (RCW35.21.005(4)).
Terminal Date - Withdrawing signatures
Any signer of a filed petition may withdraw his or her signature by a written request for withdrawal filed with the City Clerk prior to the terminal date. Such written request must sufficiently describe the petition so as to make identification of the person and the petition certain. The name of any person seeking to withdraw shall be signed exactly the same as contained on the petition (RCW35.21.005(4)).
The King County Records and Elections Division is required to make such a determination with "reasonable promptness" (RCW35.21.005(4)).
All signatures followed by a date of signing which is more than six months prior to the date of filing of the petition with the City Clerk shall be stricken (RCW35.21.005(8)).
Additional 20 Days
The City Charter provides for an additional 20 days for signature procurement if King County Elections determines that there are insufficient verified signatures. For any particular initiative, the additional 20 day period shall begin on the day after the notice of insufficiency is provided to the petition coordinator (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.B).
- Pass the initiative (as an ordinance)
- Reject it; or
- Fail to act upon it; or
- Reject it and thereafter pass a different measure dealing with same subject
Passage of Initiative
If the Council passes the initiative as an ordinance, it automatically becomes city law upon the effective date of the ordinance, usually 30 days after the Mayor signs it (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.C).
Rejection of Initiative
If the Council votes to reject the proposed initiative, the initiative must then go before the voters at the next regularly scheduled election, irrespective of whether it is a state or municipal election or a primary or general election; but the City Council may in its discretion designate submission at a general election rather than a primary or call an earlier special election (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.D). Regularly scheduled elections include August primary and November general elections. Special elections may occur in February and April (RCW29A.04.311, RCW29A.04.321, RCW29A.04.330).
Failure of Council to Act
If the Council does not act upon the initiative within 45 days from the date it was introduced to them, it must go before the voters at the next regularly scheduled election, irrespective of whether it is a state or municipal election or a primary or general election; but the City Council may in its discretion designate submission at a general election rather than a primary or call an earlier special election (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.D). Regularly scheduled elections include August primary and November general elections. Special elections may occur in February and April (RCW29A.04.311, RCW29A.04.321, RCW29A.04.330).
Passage of Different Measure
The Council may choose to pass a different measure dealing with the same subject, in which case both measures will go before the voters at the next regularly scheduled election, or an earlier election if the Council so chooses (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.D).
RCW29A.04.330 requires that legislation authorizing a measure for a February or April election ballot be submitted to King County at least 60 days before the election date.
Legislation authorizing a measure for the primary election ballot must be submitted to King County Elections no later than the Friday immediately before the first day of regular candidate filing (RCW29A.04.330 (3)).
Legislation authorizing a measure on the general election ballot must be submitted to King County Elections no later than the day of the primary election date (RCW29A.04.330 (3)).
This schedule plays an important role in the decision determining the election in which the measure will be placed on the ballot.
If the initiative receives in its favor a majority of all the votes cast for and against it, it becomes law upon proclamation of the Mayor (within five days after certification of the election in the City's official newspaper, the Daily Journal of Commerce) (Seattle City Charter Art.IV, Section1.F).
