by Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard
May 8, 2026
The conservative political committee Let’s Go Washington plans to soon begin gathering signatures as part of its push to overturn the state’s new income tax on high earners.
But the group said it remains undecided on whether it will pursue a ballot measure this fall, or an initiative to the Legislature, which would be likely to end up on the ballot in 2027. A spokesperson for the group initially confirmed to the Standard on Friday morning that the group would go for the ballot initiative this year, but then backtracked.
Let’s Go Washington has pushed numerous ballot measures in recent years. Earlier this week, the state Supreme Court this week declined the group’s attempt to put the tax before voters via referendum, which requires half as many signatures to qualify.
Time would be tight for the group to gather the required signatures to qualify an initiative for the fall ballot. An initiative will need 308,911 signatures turned in by July 2 to get before voters in November. State election officials suggest submitting at least 390,000 signatures to account for invalid ones.
Let’s Go Washington announced Friday morning they’d received ballot titles from the attorney general’s office. These can be challenged for five days.
There has been disagreement among the tax’s opponents about whether to put the question to voters this year or next.
On Tuesday, the committee’s leader, Brian Heywood, said the decision would be based on when the language that’ll appear on ballots was ironed out. He expected this to take a couple weeks.
The longer it takes, the more likely Let’s Go Washington will go the route of an initiative to the Legislature, with signatures not due until the end of the year. The assumption is that the Democratic-controlled Legislature will not approve the initiative, sending it to the ballot in 2027.
Heywood sees 2027 as the “second option,” as he fears residents frustrated with the state’s new tax environment will flee Washington and cost him votes. He also thinks timing it with this year’s state Supreme Court elections is a “very poignant link,” given the justices will get the final say on the law’s constitutionality. Five positions are up for election.
“Your income tax is on the ballot six times, not once,” Heywood said.
Opponents last month filed a lawsuit over the tax’s constitutionality, citing precedent in a 1933 state Supreme Court ruling.
The tax imposes a 9.9% levy on household wage income above $1 million starting in 2028. Collections would begin in 2029, and potentially raise a few billion dollars per year.
“We feel confident that we can defend this tax reform in court and at the ballot,” House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Seattle, said this week.
Backers have painted it as a way to rebalance Washington’s regressive tax code. The legislation that created the tax also includes various credits and tax cuts for lower-income residents and small businesses.
Most Democrats in the Legislature approved Senate Bill 6346, though some moderates sided with Republicans who uniformly opposed it.
Heywood expects supporters of the income tax to spend $50 million to $80 million against a Let’s Go Washington initiative on the tax, while he expects it’ll cost the political committee more than $10 million to win the campaign.
Let’s Go Washington will also be sponsoring initiatives on parental rights for public school students and the participation of transgender girls competing in girls’ school sports.
Editor’s note: This story was updated after Let’s Go Washington said it remained undecided about whether to pursue a ballot initiative in 2026. A spokesperson for the group initially confirmed Friday morning that it would pursue this option, as opposed to an initiative the Legislature, but then walked back that statement, citing a miscommunication.
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