PORT ANGELES — Voters have rejected three of the statewide initiatives on the November ballot and the fourth is passing by a slim margin.
Voting statistics in Clallam and Jefferson counties largely mirrored the statewide results.
Initiative 2066, which would bar cities and counties from prohibiting, penalizing or discouraging the use of natural gas in buildings, is the one measure that may pass.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 51.2 percent of voters approved it while 48.8 percent voted no.
However, there are still nearly 800,000 ballots left to be processed throughout Washington, according to The Seattle Times.
The initiative also would repeal parts of a new state law aiming to hasten Puget Sound Energy’s transition away from natural gas.
Opponents of the initiative say if it passes, they will likely sue, the Washington State Standard reported.
They said a state constitutional provision limits the content of citizens to a single subject, and that I-2066 deals with at least two different subjects.
Initiative authors said the measure has a single subject of protecting the choice of natural gas, according to the Washington State Standard.
In Clallam County, 52.1 percent of voters approved the measure. In Jefferson County, only 31.8 percent of voters approved it.
The other three initiatives were resoundingly rejected by voters.
I-2109, which aimed to repeal Washington’s capital gains tax, was rejected by 63.2 percent of voters statewide.
The tax, which took effect after the state Supreme Court upheld it in a ruling last year, levies a 7 percent tax on the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets.
It does not apply to real estate sales and only covers gains above $262,000.
The money collected is used to support education, and estimates said eliminating the tax would have removed about $2.2 billion from the budget over five state fiscal years, the Washington State Standard reported.
In Clallam County, 63.4 percent of voters rejected it while 75.3 percent of Jefferson County voters rejected it.
Meanwhile, I-2117 was rejected by 61.7 percent of voters statewide.
If approved, it would have repealed the 2021 Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which established the state’s cap-and-invest program to reduce greenhouse emissions.
It also would have banned state agencies from imposing any type of program that involved trading carbon tax credits.
Funds garnered from the CCA are legally required to be used to cut pollution, create jobs and help communities respond to climate change.
In Clallam County, 59.5 percent of voters rejected the initiative and, in Jefferson County, 74.3 percent of voters rejected it.
I-2124, which would have made participation in the WA Cares program optional, was rejected statewide by 55.5 percent of voters.
Currently, most workers in the state must pay a 0.58 percent tax on their income, which goes into the WA Cares fund.
Starting in July 2026, qualifying individuals can access the program’s long-term care benefit, with a lifetime cap of $36,500 that adjusts over time for inflation.
Making the program voluntary might have destroyed it financially, the Washington State Standard reported.
In Clallam County, 58.8 percent of voters said no while 71.3 percent of voters in Jefferson County rejected it.
Although there are still ballots left to count, as of Wednesday afternoon, The Associated Press had called the outcomes for all Washington initiatives other than I-2066.
________
Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
