OLYMPIA, Wash. — As the votes stand right now, Washingtonians are voting to reject Initiative 2117.
The votes show 38.17% of people voted "Yes" to the initiative, whereas 61.83% of people voted "No" to the initiative.
Initiative 2117 aims to repeal the Washington State Climate Commitment Act, a state law that provides a "cap and invest" program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050.
The program sets a cap on the total carbon emissions within the state and forces businesses with emissions that exceed 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year to purchase allowance permits equal to their emissions.
This cap was designed to allow businesses that reduce their emissions to sell off any remaining allowance permits to other companies, incentivizing companies to lower their emissions.
Passing Initiative 2117 would prohibit state agencies from implementing any cap and trade or cap and tax programs.
Supporters of Initiative 2117 say the tax is what makes Washington’s price of living one of the highest in the nation, alongside California. Those opposing Initiative 2117 say the program is the solution to lower transportation costs by incentivizing companies to find ways to move away from fossil fuels.
You can view the latest numbers on the race down below.