When Washington voters get their ballots next month, one thing they'll see on them is Referendum 88.
The statewide referendum system was essentially created to let the public vote on any law. Those who gather enough signatures can place a referendum on the ballot.
What law is 88 a referendum on? At the most basic level, it's a law allowing some types of affirmative action in Washington.
For example, the law passed in Olympia lets public institutions consider things like race or sex as a factor when hiring or awarding contracts. It can't be the only factor and there can't be hard quotas, but the law effectively lets people more actively pursue diversity.
Affirmative action alone is a well-debated topic but the process here has also proved controversial.
The whole thing really began in 1998, with an Initiative to the Legislature. That's when people draft a bill and gather enough signatures to send the bill to Olympia. There, lawmakers can approve, reject, amend or essentially ignore the bill.
In 1998, a group, including perennial measure-promoter Tim Eyman, drafted a bill explicitly banning affirmative action for Washington's public institutions. It was listed as I-200.
They got enough signatures but lawmakers ignored it. Per the state constitution, the initiative instead got placed directly on the ballot.
Voters approved it with more than 58% of the vote and affirmative action was banned for government-run organizations.
Last year, there was a new initiative to the legislature: I-1000. This one created the law in question today, a law allowing some types of affirmative action.
The legislature passed the bill into law, so it did not go to a public vote.
But some people weren't happy that the first bill got a public vote and the second bill didn't. That's where Referendum 88 comes in.
Now, people get to vote on the second bill: I-1000.
Those who want to permit affirmative action in Washington would vote "approved" on their ballots.
Those who want to prevent affirmative action would vote "rejected."
The general election is Nov. 5.