Harassment of initiative signature gatherers in WA sparks concerns

TACOMA, Wash. — Reports of escalating confrontations toward political signature gatherers in Washington — including incidents of harassment, theft, and property damage — have prompted concern from state officials and renewed debate over protest boundaries, voter access and the safety of civic engagement.

At a news conference in Tacoma Tuesday, signature gatherer Tammy Lewis described multiple disturbing encounters, including one in which a woman stole signature sheets and then struck an uninvolved pedestrian in a hit-and-run. Later, while Lewis was filing a police report, another person threw her purse and signage into a garbage can, resulting in that individual’s arrest.

“It's just nonstop, and it's just very iffy,” Lewis said. “It makes you not feel at ease when you're collecting signatures.” She shared videos showing multiple people cursing at her as she worked outside local stores.

The initiatives at the center of the controversy are sponsored by Let’s Go Washington, a conservative political action committee led by Brian Heywood.

The first initiative would ban “biologically male” students from participating in school sports “intended for female students only and would require health care providers to verify the student’s biological sex before participating in sports.

The second seeks to repeal provisions in a 2024 law that lawmakers passed this year, overhauling a previously successful Let’s Go Washington initiative on parental rights. Though the original parental rights measure passed the Legislature, Democratic lawmakers made changes this past session aimed at balancing parental involvement with student privacy.

Heywood is no stranger to the initiative process, having sponsored six conservative measures in 2023 — three of which made the 2024 November ballot while the Legislature adopted the others. At the news conference, Heywood said harassment of signature gatherers this year has far outpaced previous years, with at least 35 incidents reported to Let’s Go Washington so far — most in Tacoma.

Although police have responded to some of those instances, they have not responded to all of them, Heywood said. A range of instances including people yelling or threatening signature gatherers have occurred. Some individuals have also thrown away signature sheets, defaced them or ripped them up.

Those instances have prompted leaders and organizations in Washington to speak out.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs posted on social media last week that he was “disheartened” by the reports and condemned “any and all actions that disenfranchise and inhibit eligible voters from participating in the democratic process.”

Hobbs said access to democracy was a “guiding principle” in his office and that he saw similar reports of signature gatherers experiencing harassment in 2023 when Heywood’s other six initiatives were garnering signatures. He noted that he supported a bill this legislative session sponsored by former Rep. Greg Cheney that would have created a “buffer zone” around a signature gathering area.

In an email, Charlie Boisner, director of external affairs for the Secretary of State’s office said the agency’s role in administering elections “does not include the authority to conduct investigations or initiate criminal proceedings” and that law enforcement is the one who has authority to do so.

Attorney General Nick Brown echoed Hobbs’ concerns, saying “protecting everyone's right to petition their government and access the ballot is vitally important.”

Gov. Bob Ferguson has previously said that “there is no place for political violence in our democracy” and encouraged individuals to report such instances to authorities.

Meanwhile, Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, announced he is drafting a bill to create strict penalties for interfering with signature gatherers. The legislation, expected to be introduced in January, would:

* Create a gross misdemeanor offense for protesting within 25 feet of a signature gatherer

* Make it a gross misdemeanor to deface or destroy petitions

* Elevate repeat offenses or theft of petitions to Class C felonies

Organizations outside government have weighed in as well

Karen Crowley, president of the League of Women Voters, said the nonpartisan group supports the right to petition and condemns all forms of violence or intimidation. The organization, she said, respects the signature-gathering process and the high bar set by requiring voter approval.

“The League, at its heart, supports the right of individuals and organizations to petition the government and engage in robust debate — pro and con,” Crowley said in an email. “Violence or intimidation in any form is never acceptable.”

Still, critics of the initiatives argue they are harmful and regressive.

WA Families for Freedom, a coalition led by community groups, parents and teachers, including the Washington Education Association, Gender Justice League, Pro-Choice Washington and the ACLU of Washington has campaigned against the measures. Until recently, its website included a form to report the location of signature gatherers — a page that was removed by Tuesday afternoon.

“These measures are not about fairness,” the coalition’s website states. “They seek to use fear to divide us. And they put every one of our students at risk.”

In a statement, WA Families for Freedom said they will continue to condemn violence against people gathering signatures.

“These attacks harm our communities and go against everything that our campaign stands for,” said coalition co-chair Danni Askini. “The baseless insinuation from Brian Heywood that we have anything to do with these violent acts is offensive.”

Askini noted that trans people “sadly know all too well about violence” in the state, citing an increase in hate crimes and attacks. "Decline to sign: campaigns, Askini said, only seek to educate voters and do not interfere with the signature gathering process. These "no campaigns are constitutionally protected free speech and “frequently run against ballot initiatives.” Although their campaign has yet to launch in-person efforts, they said any future activity would be conducted without interfering with signature gathering.

To qualify for legislative consideration, initiatives must receive 308,911 valid signatures by Jan. 2, though the Secretary of State recommends submitting at least 386,000 to account for duplicates and errors.

If enough signatures are submitted, lawmakers enact the initiatives as written, or decline to act — in which case the measures would appear before voters on the November 2026 ballot.