Advisory Vote No. 12
Election Results
| Option | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Repealed | 581,578 | 66.70% |
| Maintained | 290,381 | 33.30% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Measure
This year, the Legislature approved a two-step increase in the gasoline tax, bringing it up 11.9 cents per gallon by next July, to help pay for a package of new transportation projects, ongoing maintenance of highways and bridges, and mass transit spending. That would raise an estimated $3.7 billion over 10 years. It passed 37-7 in the Senate and 54-44 in the House.
The change to state law triggers a provision that requires voters be asked whether they think those taxes should be repealed or kept. The ballot measures are required by Initiative 960, which passed in 2007. In the past nine such advisory measures, voters have backed some and opposed others. The results are non-binding, and the Legislature has yet to change – or even reconsider – a tax based on the results of an advisory measure.
Because the results have no consequences, there are no active campaigns either for or against any of the measures.