The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-10-03
Amendment TO Sta.
stituti0n.



Office of the Secretary OF stets.
To whom it may concern: In obedienys
to an act of the legislature, approved March
| 10, 1911, entitled as follows: IAN Act 70
stitution of the State Of Washington, relat-
ing to legislative powers, providing for tie
| initiative and referendum, and striking sec
time when laws take effect there is hereby
| published for the consideration Of the voters
of the State of Washington the following
proposed amendment to the constitution Of
| said state:
That at the general election to be held in
| this state the Tuesday next succeeding
the first Monday in November, 1912, there
shall be submitted to the qualified electors
of the state for adoption and approval
or rejection amendment to article ii
of the Constitution of the State of Wash
| Ington, relating to legislative powers by
striking from article II all of sections / and
81, and inserting in lieu thereof as section
l the following, so that the same shall read
as follows:
Article II, section 1. The legislative su-
thority of the State of Washington shall be
! vested in the legislature, consisting OF =
senate and house of representatives, which
shall be called the legislature of the State
of Washington, but the people reserve TO
themselves the power to propose bills. laws
| and to enact reject the same at the polis
independent of the legislature. and also re-
| serve power, at their own option, to approve
or reject at the polls any act, item, section
OF part of any bill, act or law passed by the
| legislature.
|. tai Initiative: The first power reserved
by the people is the initiative. Ten per
centum, but in no case more than fifty thou.
sand, of the legal voters shall be required
10 propose any measure by sucn pen'iSn,,
| and every such petition shall include the
full text of the measure SO proposed. lnitia-
tive petitions shall be filed with the sec
rotary of state not less than four months
before the election at which they are to be
voted upon, or not less than ten days before
any regular session of the legislature.
filed at least four months before the election
at which they are to be voted upon, ne snail
submit the same to the vote of the people ~
the said election. If such petitions are filed
not less than ten days before any regular
session of the legislature, he shall transmit
the same to the legislature as soon IS IL
convenes and organizes. Such initiative
measure shall take precedence over all other
measures in the legislature except appropria-
ton bills and shall be either enacted or re-
ected without change or amendment by the
legislature before the end of such regular
. session. If any such initiative measure shall
be enacted by the legislature 1t shall be sub
ject to the referendum petition, or 1t may
be enacted and referred by the Legislature
to the people for APPROVAL or rejection at the
: next regular election: If it is rejected or II
no action is taken upon it by the legislature
before the end of such regular session, the
: secretary of state shall submit it to the peo
: pie for approval rejection at the next en-
suing regular general election. The legisla-
lure may reject any measure SO proposed By
initiative petition and propose different one
/ dealing with the same subject, and in such
event both measures shall be submitted by
the secretary of state to the people for ap-
prevail or rejection at the next ensuing regu-
lar general election. When conflicting meas
ures submitted to the people the ballots
shall be so printed that voter can express
separately by making cross (X) for each,
two preferences, first, as between either
measure and neither, and secondly, a. be.
tween one and the other. If the majority of
those voting the first issue is for neither,
both fail, but in that case the votes on the
/ second issue shall nevertheless be carefully
counted and made public. If q majority
voting on the first issue is for either, then
the measure receiving majority of the
votes on the second issue shall be law.
II CD Referendum. The second power re-
served by the people is the referendum, and
1T may be ordered ON any act, BILL law, or
| any part thereof passed by the legislature,
! except such laws as may be necessary for
the immediate preservation. of the public
peace health or safety, support of the state
| government and its existing public institu-
tons, either by petition signed by the
| CURED percentage OF the legal voters, or by
the legislature other bills are enacted. Six
per centum, but in no case more than thirty
thousand, of the legal voters shall be
quired to sign and make valid referendum
| petition.
| (c) No act, law, or bill subject to refer
/ endum shall take effect until ninety days
/ after the adjournment of the session at which
is was enacted. No act, law, or bill APP
! proved by a majority of the electors voting
| thereon shall be amended or repealed by the
/ legislature within a period of two years fol-
| lowing such enactment. But such enactment
] may be amended or repealed at any general
] regular special election by direct vote of
4 the people thereon.
III Id The filing of q referendum petition
l against one or more items, sections or parts
| of any act, law or bill shall not delay the
remainder of the measure from becoming OPP
erative. Referendum petitions against meas.
ures passed by the legislature shall be filed
with the secretary of state not later than
ninety days after the final adjournment of the
session of the legislature which passed the
measure on which the referendum is do
manded. The veto power of the governor
j, shall not extend to measures initiated by or
e referred to the people. All elections ON
I measures referred to the people OF the state
! shall be had at the biennial regular elections,
e except when the legislature shall order
special election. Any measure initiated Dy
!, the people or referred to the people as herein
! provided shall take effect and become the
law if it is approved by majority OF the
, votes cast thereon; Provided, That the vote
! cast upon such question or measure shall
: equal one third of the total vote cast at such
election and not otherwise. Such measure
shall be in operation on and after the thir;
.eth day after the election at which 1t 10
approved. The style of all bills proposed
acted bs the people Of the State Of wash
.ugton.' This section shall not be construed
to deprive any member of the legislature OF
the right to introduce any measure. me
whole number of electors who voted for gov
ernor at the regular gubernatorial election
! last preceding the fling of any petition, for
! the initiative or for the referendum shall be
!, the basis on which the number Of legal voters
q necessary to sign such petition shall pc
r counted. All such petitions shall be filed
4 with the secretary Of state. who shall be
j guided by the general laws in submitting the
e same to the people until additional legislation
shall especially provide therefor. This sec.
S ton is self executing, but legislation may be
g enacted especially to facilitate its o-eration:
The legislature shall provide methods Of
publicity of all laws or parts OF laws, and
" amendments to the constitution referred to
the people with arguments for and against
ne laws and amendments so referred. 80 that
> each voter of the state shall receive the pub
LEGATION at least fifty days before the election
at which they are to be voted upon.
There shall be printed all ballots pre-
vided for the said election, the words:
''For the proposed amendment of section
I of article II of the constitution of the State
. of Washington, relating to legislative powers
. and providing for the initiative and referen-
dunn
> 'tAgainst the proposed amendment of sec.
= tiun 1 of article II of the constitution of the
: State of Washington, relating to legislative
). powers, and providing for the initiative and