AI Ballot Check Washington · General election, November 3, 2026

Clark County Proposed Charter Amendment No. 26

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Statement For · Liz Cline

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Committee: Cathie Garber, Chair

Charter Amendment 26 makes Citizen Participation more Achievable Charter Amendment 26 makes it easier for Clark County citizens to have a voice in their government. The amendment would lower the verified-signature requirement for initiative and referendum petitions from 10% to 8%. It would also let valid signatures from an unsuccessful initiative transfer to a mini-initiative once the 3% threshold is met, so public support is not wasted. For petitions affecting only unincorporated Clark County, the required number of signatures would be calculated using the same method as petitions affecting the entire county. The County Auditor may also use random statistical sampling to verify petition signatures, by sampling at least 3,000 submitted signatures. The amendment also protects petitioners by ensuring that no petition can be rejected based solely on statistical sampling. According to the Elections Office, statistical sampling would reduce staff time when reviewing signatures and would lower county costs. This amendment is a practical step toward making Clark County government more responsive to its citizens. The charter gives residents the power of initiative and referendum, but since Clark County adopted home rule in 2014, no citizen petition has qualified for the ballot. One major barrier is the current signature requirement. This amendment would make the process more accessible while preserving the safeguards needed to ensure petitions have meaningful public support. With bipartisan support, Charter Amendment 26 offers a balanced way to strengthen public participation while keeping important safeguards in place. Vote to Approve Proposed Charter Amendment 26!

Rebuttal of argument against

Unlike the 2022 proposal, this proposal doesn’t require the Prosecuting Attorney’s opinion on local initiative powers to appear on petitions or ballots. Lowering the signature threshold from 10% to 8% still requires strong public support and preserves verification safeguards. Other counties’ experience shows lower thresholds do not unleash a flood of initiatives. Amendment 26 gives Clark County citizens a more achievable path to use their Charter-protected initiative and referendum rights. Vote to Approve!

Statement Against · Chuck Green

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Committee: Janet Landesberg, Chair

In 2022 in Clark County a similar measure to reduce the required signature percentages for initiatives and referenda was rejected by 59% of the vote. While this version adds a technical change in how the Election’s office certifies initiatives by permitting statistical sampling for signature verification, the proposed lower thresholds are the same as the ones which voters rejected in 2022. With attention focused on election integrity, all signatures should be verified. Does lowering the threshold for initiatives work? Both Whatcom and Snohomish Counties passed charter amendments to lower these thresholds. Even with these lower thresholds, no initiatives have made it to the ballot. Please vote Against this amendment.

Rebuttal of argument for

How can this amendment be more “democratic” when all signatures to a petition are not verified? It encourages bad behavior and does not support election integrity. How can this amendment be more responsive to the voters of Clark County when they defeated a similar amendment by a large majority? When does No not mean No? Vote No!