Since Washington became the 42nd state in 1889, voters have decided on 510 ballot measures. The state adopted a process for citizen initiatives and referendums in 1912. Of the 510 measures, 268 measures were approved (52.5%), and 242 measures were defeated (47.5%).

Washington provides initiated state statutes, including indirect initiated state statutes, and veto referendums. The direct initiated state statutes are known as Initiatives to the People in Washington, and the indirect initiatives are known as Initiatives to the Legislature.

The first citizen-initiated ballot measure in Washington was on the ballot in 1914. Since 1914, voters have decided on 192 ballot initiatives, of which 100 (52.1%) were approved and 92 (47.9%) were defeated. There have also been 39 veto referendums on the ballot in Washington. Voters repealed 31 (79.5%) and upheld eight (20.5%) of the targeted laws. Therefore, a total of 231 initiatives and referendums have been on the ballot.

In Washington, the legislature can also refer constitutional amendments and statutes to the ballot. There have also been constitutional convention-referred ballot measures and non-binding advisory questions. A total of 279 referred measures have been on the ballot since 1889, with voters approving 160 (57.3%).

The average number of measures per decade was 34. The decade with the most ballot measures was the 2010s, which featured 73 ballot measures. Thirty-eight measures (52.05%) were approved, and 35 (47.95%) were defeated. The decade that had the highest approval rate was the 1960s, which featured 51 measures—38 (74.51%) were approved, and 13 (25.49%) were defeated. So far, the present decade has had the lowest approval rating for Washington state ballot measures. The decade featured 15 ballot measures—two (13.33%) were approved, and 13 (86.67%) were defeated.

Notable topics appearing on the Washington ballot include women’s suffrage, abortion, taxation, assisted death, marriage, and marijuana. Below is a selection of ballot measures from the state’s history:

• Voters decided on the location of the state capital. In 1889, voters were asked where the “permanent location of the seat of government” should be. Voters wrote in their preferences. As selecting a capital required a majority vote, not a plurality vote, a runoff ballot measure election was held between the top three locations in 1890. Olympia won the election with 72.7% of the vote.
• The question of women’s suffrage was rejected twice before being approved on the third attempt. in 1889, male voters—since women could not yet vote—rejected the amendment, with 68.3% voting ‘no.’ In 1898, opposition remained, with 40.4% voting against women’s suffrage. In 1910, the measure passed, with 63.8% voting ‘yes.’
• The original Washington State Constitution included a provision prohibiting noncitizens from owning land there. The state legislature asked voters to amend or repeal this provision five times. First, in 1914, 79% of voters rejected amending the provision to allow noncitizens to own land as long as they’re residents. In 1950, the legislature proposed a narrower amendment, allowing the state’s northern neighbors, Canadians, to own land in Washington. That amendment was approved with 50.2%. In 1954, voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing corporations, based in the U.S. but with noncitizen shareholders, to own land in the state. In 1962, the legislature proposed repealing the entire provision, but voters rejected the measure, with 51.7% voting ‘no.’ Then, in 1966, voters again decided on a measure to repeal the provision, which passed with 50.9% of the vote.
• In 1922, voters rejected Referendum 13, which would have provided that vaccination is not required to attend school. In 1924, voters rejected Initiative 49, which would have required all children between the ages of seven and sixteen years to attend public schools.
• In 1956 and 1958, voters rejected ballot measures to establish right-to-work laws.
• Washington was the first state to legalize abortion via ballot measure. In 1970, voters passed a referendum legalizing abortion for women “not quick with child” and within the “four lunar months after conception.” Before Referendum 20, abortion was a crime in Washington. Then, in 1984, voters rejected a ballot initiative to prohibit state funds from being used for abortions. In 1991, voters approved a ballot initiative to provide that “the state may not deny or interfere with a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion prior to viability of the fetus, or to protect her life or health.”
• In 1975, voters rejected a constitutional amendment to allow for state financial assistance for students attending private schools. From 1996 to 2000, voters decided on three ballot initiatives related to school choice policies—Initiative 173 (1996), Initiative 177 (1996), and Initiative 729 (2000). Voters rejected the ballot measures, which related to vouchers and charter schools.
• From 1993 to 2015, voters approved a series of citizen-initiated ballot measures to limit taxes or spending, but the Washington Supreme Court found at least some provisions of each one to be unconstitutional. The ballot measures were Initiative 601 (1993), Initiative 695 (1999), Initiative 722 (2000), Initiative 747 (2001), Initiative 960 (2007), Initiative 1053 (2010), Initiative 1185 (2012), and Initiative 1366 (2015).
• Voters approved a ballot initiative providing for top-two primaries in 2004.
• In 2012, Washington, along with Maine and Maryland, became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage via ballot measure. Also in 2012, Washington, along with Colorado, became the first state to approve a ballot initiative legalizing recreational marijuana.

Ballotpedia’s Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and the public on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they have covered, and their role in our civic life.