What do 85% of King County citizens have that Sammamish citizens do not have? The basic constitutional right to the Initiative/Referendum! When the City of Sammamish was formed in 1999, the right of Initiative/Referendum for our citizens was inadvertently left out. In the upcoming April 28th election, we have the opportunity to correct this oversight and gain this basic right by voting YES.   Why is this important to us? Article One of the State of Washington Constitution clearly states that “all political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.”  With the Initiative, our citizens are able to place specific issues on the ballot, and Referendums provide the ability of voters to repeal legislation that is made by their local lawmakers. Both require the collection of signatures of a substantial number of voters in order to move forward, so are not likely to be taken lightly.  Experience in neighboring cities that possess the right of Initiative/Referendum does not show any pattern of abuse of this basic right.

Our City Council could have corrected this oversight at any time by a simple Council vote to enact this basic right. They have chosen not to do so.  By not granting the right of Initiative/Referendum, our local government has, in effect, placed limits on our rights as citizens. While we may never have cause to use the Initiative/Referendum, it is vitally important to our rights of citizenship, that we possess this ability. Please join me on April 28th to vote YES on our rights to the Initiative/Referendum.

Sherie Valderrama, Sammamish