SEATTLE, WA – Today, Let’s Go Washington fired a warning shot at three local progressive activist groups with a cease-and-desist letter from former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna calling on them to end their illegal interference with the right of voters to sign initiative petitions. Interfering with the ability to sign an initiative is a gross misdemeanor under Washington law.
“It’s unconscionable and illegal activity, openly driven and coordinated by these activist groups,” said Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington. “The harassment and intimidation of Washington voters and initiative workers needs to end. The initiative process is one of the state’s most fundamental democratic rights and they are brazenly working to suppress it. They have to end this intimidation campaign right now or we’ll be forced to settle this in court.”
Using a hotline and paid activists from Fuse Washington, SEIU 775 and Fieldworks, these groups have coordinated attempts to block and harass initiative campaign workers in locations across the state including Ridgefield, Camas, Tacoma and Bothell. An email from Aaron Ostrom, executive director for Fuse Washington, sent to their followers and distributed to local Democratic groups instructs people to call the hotline to guide blockers to initiative campaign workers in the field for harassment and intimidation carried out by paid activists.
In addition to these Illegal intimidation tactics, there appears to be a coordinated and well-funded effort to bribe the same signature gathers to relocate to Florida until after the signature gathering period has ended. We expect to see the full disclosure of these opposition campaign expenditures in the PDC filing reports as required by state law.
RCW 29A.84.250 states, “Every person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor who:… (4) Interferes with or attempts to interfere with the right of any voter to sign or not to sign an initiative or referendum petition or with the right to vote for or against an initiative or referendum measure by threats, intimidation, or any other corrupt means or practice.”
###
Press contact: Email info@letsgowa.com.
