People are often surprised to discover that Tim Eyman’s record includes almost no successes (despite his outlandish claims) but is instead filled with failures and defeats chalked up over the last decade.
The following chart accurately portrays his actual record. Now, we could have included in this survey the dozens upon dozens of failed initiatives that Tim has filed but never actually attempted to qualify for the ballot, but we decided to be generous and only include the initiatives that Tim has actually put money and resources into.
We also could have thrown in 2005′s failed I-912, which Tim backed and strongly endorsed, but we generously left that out as well.
The criteria for determining whether an initiative was a success was as follows:
- Did the initiative pass, take effect, and survive any legal challenges?
- Did the initiative accomplish its main intent as stated by Eyman?
So, two very simple, straightforward requirements made up the litmus test. And based on that test, here is the chart showing Eyman’s record:
| Measure | Year | Subject and Synopsis | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initiative 695 | 1999 |
Would have gutted the state motor vehicle excise tax and required voter approval for all tax increases Passed by voters, but ultimately declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court after a legal challenge. |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 722 | 2000 |
Would have cut state and local property taxes, which fund public services Passed by voters, but ultimately declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court after a legal challenge |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 745 | 2000 |
Would have required ninety percent of state transportation funding to be spent only on roads Overwhelmingly defeated by voters |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 747 | 2001 |
Placed a draconian limit on property taxes, hurting cities and counties’ ability to provide public services Passed by voters, but ultimately declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court after a legal challenge |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 776 | 2002 |
Gutted local motor vehicle excise taxes in four counties, attempted to destroy Sound Transit’s light rail system Passed by voters, survived a legal challenge, but failed to shut down Sound Transit’s Central Link light rail project, which opened in 2009 to strong ridership |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 267 | 2002 |
Tried to divert money out of the general fund for road building Failed to qualify for the ballot |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 807 | 2003 |
Would have required supermajority votes for all revenue increases Failed to qualify for the ballot |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 864 | 2004 |
Would have slashed property taxes by a whopping twenty five percent, destroying funding for public services Failed to qualify for the ballot |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 892 | 2004 |
Would have legalized electronic slot machines in every Washington State neighborhood Overwhelmingly defeated by voters |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 900 | 2005 |
Gave the state auditor extensive new powers, funding for performance audits Approved by voters. No legal challenge has been filed to date. |
SUCCESS |
| Referendum 65 | 2006 |
Would have repealed ESHB 2661, thereby legalizing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation Failed to qualify for the ballot |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 917 | 2006 |
Would have repealed some $3 billion in statewide transportation funding and assaulted local communities’ privilege of home rule Failed to qualify for the ballot |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 960 | 2007 |
Required supermajority votes for all revenue increases and also required forced public votes on revenue increases Approved by voters. Temporarily neutralized by the Legislature after the Supreme Court declined to consider whether I-96 is constitutional or not. |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 985 | 2008 |
Would have opened high occupancy vehicle lanes during rush hour, drained part of the state treasury to pay for more roads, and restricted use of tolls Overwhelmingly defeated by voters |
FAILURE |
| Initiative 1033 | 2009 |
Would have locked in painful budget cuts, trapping Washington in a permanent recession and redistributing siphoned tax dollars to wealthy property owners Overwhelmingly defeated by voters |
FAILURE |
The information in the chart speaks for itself.
All except for Initiative 900 in 2005, Initative 960 in 2007, and Initiative 776 in 2002, Tim Eyman’s ballot measures have been invalidated by a court, failed to qualify for the ballot, or been defeated by voters.
Other 2006 setbacks:
- Eyman opposed Mayor Nickels’ Seattle roads package (Bridging the Gap), but it passed anyway
- Eyman lost the court battle against Sound Transit over collection of the MVET
We won’t dispute that Initiative 900 was successful. Though it was unnecessary and poorly written, it hasn’t inflicted serious damage on state government to date. State Auditor Brian Sonntag has been harassing Sound Transit by conducting repeated performance audits of the agency, but since it is already the most heavily audited agency in the state, the audits aren’t uncovering any new ways Sound Transit could become more efficient.
This brings us to Initiative 776. Why is it classified as a failure?
The answer is that while Initiative 776 did successfully repeal local motor vehicle excise taxes in four of Washington State’s thirty nine counties, it failed to accomplish its main goal: thwarting Sound Transit’s Central Link light rail project. If you look back to news articles from 2002, you’ll see Tim Eyman claiming that I-776 was meant to be a “revote on light rail”.
Eyman made it very clear that the main intent of I-776 was to drain revenue from Sound Transit and force the agency to shut down plans to build Central Link.
Though I-776 narrowly passed and narrowly survived a legal challenge, it failed to stop Sound Transit from moving ahead with Central Link, which has been in continuous operation since it opened to the public in 2009. I-776 therefore did not accomplish its main purpose.
So Tim Eyman’s record of success is 2 for 15 over the past ten years. That’s a pretty dismal record. It certainly shows that Tim Eyman is a paper tiger.
Given that Tim Eyman is a creature of the media, it’s no surprise that Tim Eyman’s actual record doesn’t match the public perception that many Washingtonians have of him. Reporters frequently call him an “initiative guru” or an “initiative king”, which only fuels this mistaken perception.
People need to understand that Tim Eyman is not just a salesman, but a failure.
