State initiatives: Sales tax, gambling, charter schools failing

The Associated Press

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• Voters were rejecting a measure to expand gambling in Washington state in early returns today, apparently unswayed by Initiative 892's promise of lower property taxes.

I-892 would allow as many as 18,000 new electronic slot machines in casinos, bars, restaurants and bowling alleys. A 35 percent tax on the machines would pay for property tax relief.

With about 450,000 votes counted from precincts across the state, 56 percent voted against the measure and 44 percent voted for it.

Kathy Garner, 53, a home health nurse in Seattle, said she voted against the measure because she doesn't want more gambling in Washington.

"It preys on people's weaknesses," Garner said. "Gambling is a good way to get people in trouble. It's a dirty way to make money."

But the idea of more gambling didn't bother Seattle voter John Vasquez, 29, who said he voted for I-892.

"It will reduce property taxes over the long term, and I don't mind it," said Vasquez, a student and former casino worker. "If you're a good parent your kids won't be gambling anyway."

The ballot measure created a political showdown between casino-owning Indian tribes, which now have exclusive rights to offer electronic slot machines, and non-tribal casinos yearning for a piece of that action.

Opponents argued the initiative would dramatically intensify gambling in Washington, put slot machines in neighborhoods and create a slew of gambling-related problems.

Anti-tax advocate and initiative sponsor Tim Eyman remained optimistic despite polls that showed I-892 with meager support, saying tax cuts are "politically incorrect" but always popular.
 
• State voters turned down a proposal to allow state-funded charter schools today — the third time they had been asked to consider the issue.

With 12 percent of precincts reporting, 459,237 voters opposed the measure while 310,110 supported it — a 60 percent to 40 percent margin.

Washington voters had rejected charter schools twice already, turning down citizen initiatives in 1996 and 2000. This time they rejected a charter-school law approved by the Legislature last session.

The issue went to the ballot as Referendum 55 after the statewide teachers' union, the Washington Education Association, and other opponents collected petition signatures to require voter approval.

Forty states have approved charter schools since 1992.

• State voters today rejected a penny-on-the-dollar sales-tax increase to raise money for education.

With 12 percent of precincts reporting, Initiative 884 was opposed by 651,707 voters and supported by 353,226 — a 65 percent to 35 percent margin.

The League of Education Voters, a coalition of teachers, parents, business leaders and others that drove the campaign, said the sales-tax boost would generate more than $1 billion annually to transform education from preschool through college.

Opponents were wary of the tax bite and dubious about the benefits, fearing the initiative would simply pump more money into faltering programs.

The initiative called for a one-penny-per-dollar increase in the state's 6.5 percent sales tax, a 15.4 percent increase in a tax already viewed as burdensome for the poor.