Initiative profiteer Tim Eyman has a reputation as one of the most powerful (if unelected) politicians in the state. But after today's Supreme Court opinion invalidating the two-thirds supermajority requirement for tax increases, Eyman doesn't really have a lot to show for all the dozens of initiatives he's filed since he first became a household name back in 1999:
| Initiative | Year | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-695 | 1999 | $30 car tabs | Approved. Declared unconstitutional. |
| I-722 | 2000 | Cap property tax revenue growth at 2 percent a year | Approved. Declared unconstitutional. |
| I-745 | 2000 | Dedicate 90 percent of transportation funding to road building. | Rejected. |
| I-747 | 2001 | Cap property tax revenue growth at 1 percent a year. | Approved. Declared unconstitutional. |
| I-776 | 2002 | $30 car tabs. | Approved | I-892 | 2004 | Legalize slot machines. | Rejected. |
| I-900 | 2004 | Performance audits | Approved. |
| I-960 | 2007 | Require 2/3 legislative supermajority for tax increases. | Approved. Declared unconstitutional. |
| I-985 | 2008 | Eliminate carpool lanes. | Rejected. |
| I-1033 | 2009 | Cap state revenue growth at population growth plus inflation. | Rejected. |
| I-1053 | 2010 | Require 2/3 legislative supermajority for tax increases. | Approved. Declared unconstitutional. |
| I-1125 | 2011 | Restrict tolling and block light rail on I-90 bridge. | Rejected. |
| I-1185 | 2012 | Require 2/3 legislative supermajority for tax increases. | Approved. Declared unconstitutional. |
Of the 13 statewide initiatives Eyman has qualified for the ballot since 1999, only eight have been approved by voters, and all but two of those have been invalidated as unconstitutional. And even that's being generous, as 2002's I-776 failed to fulfill Eyman's promise to kill Sound Transit's light rail after the courts refused to apply it to already bonded car tabs.
Indeed, had not the lawmakers stupidly (and cowardly) reenacted I-695's and I-747's provisions after they were tossed out by the court, all Eyman would have to show for his long snake oil career is a performance audit statute that was only slightly strong than the one already passed by the legislature that year.
Oooh. Scary.
