Arenas of Change
Where does the struggle for progressive change—and ultimately, progressive governance—actually occur? In this section, we describe six decision-making arenas—the target areas for organizing efforts to push, pass, and protect progressive policies and systemic change. These include the electoral, legislative, judicial, administrative, communications, and corporate arenas. Together these define the broad terrain where ideas, policies, and power are contested—and this tool is designed to help facilitate a systematic understanding of where the roadblocks and opportunities lie.
How does a particular state fare in the Judicial Arena? Does it have accessible elections? Are its legislators working full-time? Or dow they need to supplement their income? Explore the Arenas of Change in whatever state you wish!
Washington
Electoral Arena - Washington
The electoral arena is where voters are the final decision makers: They shape policy indirectly through electing representatives or directly through ballot initiatives.
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Ease of Voter Registration and Voting
How accessible is registration in the state? What is the availability of early voting, online voting, and vote-by-mail? Does the state have voter ID laws, and how strict are they? How long do voters have to wait at the polls before they can cast their ballots.
Voting Wait Time
Mail Only
Oregon and Washington are the only two U.S. states to conduct voting exclusively by mail.
Absentee Voting
Vote by Mail
Voters in Washington cast their ballots exclusively using mail-in ballots.
Early Voting
Mail Only
Voting in Washington and Oregon is done exclusively via mail.
Voter ID Laws
Non-strict voter ID laws
Washington has less-strict voter ID laws, that have some flexibility.
Fairness of Electoral Laws
To what degree does the state enfranchise voters, particularly immigrants (through integration efforts) and formerly incarcerated (through state law)?
State Felon Disenfranchisement Rate
1.03%
1.03% of eligible voters in Washington are disenfranchised due to the state's laws banning those with felony convictions from voting. Washington is ranked 29th in terms of the highest percent of eligible voters disenfranchised due to felony convictions.
Availability of Public Campaign Financing
Does the state provide public campaign financing to level the playing field for candidates?
Public Campaign Financing
None
The State of Washington does not offer any public campaign financing.
Existence of Ballot Initiatives
Does the state allow ballot initiatives? If so, how easy (or not) is it to get an initiative on the ballot? What form do they take (i.e., constitutional amendments, statutes, or referenda)?
Statutory Ballot
Initiative Process
Direct
Voters in Washington utilize direct methods to introduce statutory ballot initiatives, meaning proposals that qualify go directly on the ballot.
Constitutional Ballot
Initiatives Process
None
Voters in Washington have no mechanism for introducing state constitutional ballot initiatives.
Popular Referendum Process
Yes
Voters in Washington may utilize Popular Referendum—a process by which voters may petition to demand a popular vote on a new law passed by the legislature.
Fairness of Re-Districting
Who draws legislative district boundaries (e.g., elected representatives or committees of non-elected, non-partisan experts)? How gerrymandered is the state?
Gerrymandering Index
21/100
Lower scores represent less compact districts indicating that they are more gerrymandered. Washington is ranked 21st among states with the most potential gerrymandering, based on this metric.
Redistricing Process
Independent Commission
In Washington, independent commissions are responsible for congressional and state legislative redistricting.
Availability of Public Campaign Financing
Does the state provide public campaign financing to level the playing field for candidates?
Washington has the following limits on contributions to state campaigns by various bodies:
| Contributor | Limit |
|---|---|
| Individuals | Some Limits |
| State Party | Some Limits |
| PACs | Some Limits |
| Corporations | Some Limits |
| Unions | Some Limits |
Legislative Arena - Washington
The legislative arena is where elected officials and policy makers are the decision makers as they propose, craft , and approve (or disapprove) laws.
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Level and Authenticity of Community Engagement
Does the state mandate public participation in legislative decision-making processes? How authentic are these processes and to what extent to legislators' decisions reflect their constituents' opinions? Does the state have mechanisms for direct democracy like participatory budgeting?
Accountability Score
64/100
Washington was scored a 64 by the Center for Public Integrity. This score is like a "grade"—higher numbers indicate lower risk of corruption among legislators, based on a range of legislative accountability standard practices. Washington is tied for 18th highest in terms of accountability.
Equality of Political Representation
1.82
This metric measures how far the political leanings of a state's residents are from the actual policies passed in their state, and the relationship of this "proximity" to their income level. Larger positive values indicate greater political equality (i.e., people with lower incomes are better represented). Washington is ranked 9th in equality of political representation.
Participatory Budget?
No
Washington does not have any local governments that utilize participatory budgeting. (At present, no state level governments utilize participatory budgeting.)
Capacity and Professionalism of Legislators
How does the structure of the legislature (part-time vs. full-time) dictate the capacity of legislators to get things done? Do legislators have term limits? How are legislative offices staffed? What are state legislators' compensation? How does all this affect the types of candidates who run for office (e.g., career politicians, corporate representatives, independently wealthy people, or "everyday" people)?
Legislative Professionalism Index
0.213
Washington was scored at 0.213 in Squire's (2007) legislative professionalism index. Greater values indicate more professional-level salary and benefits, time demands of service, staff and resources for members of each state's legislature. Washington is ranked 17th in terms of legislative professionalism.
Strictness in Lobbying Rules
Does the state regulate lobbyists in terms of transparency and ethics? For instance, are state legislators required to disclose gifts from lobbyists? To what extent do lobbyists and legislators follow state regulations?
Lobbying Disclosure Ranking
3
According to the Sunlight Foundation, Washington scored a 3 on the Lobbying Disclosure Scorecard. The Scorecard compares and ranks each state (from -6 to 6) in terms of their rules and practices regarding lobbying activity, the transparency and reporting of individual legislator expenditures, public accessibility of documents regarding lobbying, and lobbyist compensation. The higher the score, the more transparent a state's lobbying disclosure.
Structure of Legislature
Is the state legislature full-time, part-time, or a hybrid structure?
Full or Part Time Legislature
Hybrid
Legislators in Washington say they spend more than two-thirds of a full time job being legislators but do not typically make enough so as not to need outside sources of income. They have intermediate sized staffs.
Legislative Session Length
2.7 months
The average legislative session in Washington is 2.7 months over a two-year period. Washington is tied for 40th in terms of the longest state legislative sessions.
Judicial Arena - Washington
The judicial arena is where decision makers are state-level courts and judges as they determine the legality of policies and practices.
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Method of Judicial Selection
Are state-level judges appointed or elected across high, appellate, and trial courts? Are there term limits?
| Court | Selection Type |
|---|---|
| State High Court | Uncontested Retention Elections After Initial Appointment |
| Intermediate Appellate Court | Uncontested Retention Elections After Initial Appointment |
| Trial Courts | Uncontested Retention Elections After Initial Appointment |
Fairness of Sentencing Laws
To what extent do people of color—particularly, Black and Latino men—disproportionately end up in court and get harsher punishments than their white counterparts? To what extent does this same group disproportionately make up the state's incarcerated population?
Incarceration Spending
2.6%
Washington spends 2.6% of its budget on incarceration. Washington is tied for 28th in terms of incarceration spending.
Racial Disparities in Incarceration
6.4:1
The ratio to which Washington incarcerates Black individuals to white individuals is 6.4 to 1. Washington is tied for 22nd in terms of the largest disparities in incarceration of Black to White individuals.
Enforcement of Ethics and Monitoring Money
Does the state have campaign spending limits in judicial elections? On what grounds do states require judges recuse themselves from cases, if at all? Do these recusal rules apply to campaign contributions?
Accountability Score
62/100
Lower Accountability Scores indicate higher risk of corruption. The score is an aggregate of information on ethics standards and practices for state courts, including state judge recusal processes, judge use of private/state assets, access to courts and transparency, judges documentation of reasonings for decisions, and other accountability measures. Washington is tied for 11th in terms of judicial accountability.
Public Financing?
No
Washington has no public campaign financing in state judicial elections or no judicial elections.
Accessibility of Courts to Consumers and Workers
What are the rules and resources around self-representation? What legal resources exist for low-income people, people with disabilities, and people who do not speak English?
Access to Justice Index
66/100
Higher value on the Access to Justice Index indicates greater access to justice. The index comprises four sets of indices of legal access measuring attorney access, language assistance, self-representation resources, and assistance for those with disabilities. Washington is tied for 44th in terms of public access to justice.
Judicial Diversity
How diverse is the judiciary? Are people of color sitting on the bench? Are women? How does the method of selection affect this?
Judicial Diversity Index
8%
8% of Washington's judiciary is composed of people of color. This data includes state courts of last resort, appellate level courts, and trial courts of general jurisdiction, and takes into consideration methods of selection variables, and state population variables. Washington is tied for 22nd in terms of diversity of the judiciary, as measured by the percentage of judges who identify as persons of color.
Administrative Arena - Washington
The administrative arena is where executive officials and government staff are the decision makers. They oversee and implement laws and rules, coordinate regulatory bodies, and administer public participation processes.
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Enforcement of Ethics
What types of ethics enforcement rules exist to hinder corruption within government agencies? Are there bodies that audit and provide oversight of agencies? What structures exist to ensure public transparency in administrative decision-making processes?
Ethics Commission?
Yes
Washington has an ethics commission with oversight of local, non-elected officials.
Civil Service Management Score
60/100
Washington was scored a 60 on Civil Service Management by the Center for Public Integrity. This score is like a "grade": Higher numbers indicate lower risk of corruption among state's civil servants. The score aggregates and scores information on civil service management, including asset reporting of civil servants, disclosure of civil service records, protections for whistleblowers, and internal disclosure of corruption investigations. Washington is tied for 25th in terms of civi service management
Rule Making and Resource Allocation
To what extent does the governor have decision-making power over the state budget, legislative enactment, department and committee appointments, and other oversight measures? Under what circumstances can the governor use veto power, if at all? What more informal power and political weight does the governor hold?
Executive Accountability Score
59/100
Washington scored a 59 on executive accountability by the Center for Public Integrity. Higher numbers indicate lower risk of corruption among executive branch officials. The measure aggregates and scores information on judicial review of executive action, use of executive orders, asset/disclosure of executive and cabinet, and the existence and use of other measures to regulate the power of executive branch. Washington is tied for 28th in terms of executive branch accountability.
Public Transparency Grade
B+
Washington scored a earning it a grade of B+ from U.S. PIRG in terms of public transparency. This grade is based on the amount of detailed information on state budgets available to the public.
Capacity and Resources of Agencies
Do agencies have adequate capacity and resources to achieve implementation of policies passed by the state legislature? What indicators and measures do government agencies utilize to guide decision making? To what extent do government departments and agencies collaborate? What structures exist to engage the public in decision- making processes?
| Expenditure | % of General Fund |
|---|---|
| K-12 | 45% |
| Higher Ed | 8% |
| Medical | 13% |
| Public Assistance | 0% |
| Coorrections | 6% |
| Transport | 0% |
| All Others | 28% |
Communications Arena - Washington
Communications as an arena of change is about the power to influence the values, worldviews, and understandings of the public at-large.
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Diversity in Media Content and Ownership
Who owns the major media outlets in the state? What alternative (non-profit, non-corporate) media outlets exist? How much airtime do progressive organizations get in these outlets?
Nonprofit News Services
4
Washington has a total of 4 nonprofit news agencies with an editorial focus based in it. Washington is tied for 11th among states according to the total number of nonprofit news agencies.
Public Accessibility to Information
How many reporters cover statehouses and local politics? Do residents have affordable, broadband, and high-speed internet access? How does the state fare in terms of computer, internet, and social media literacy/use?
Statehouse Reporters
30
Washington has a total of 30 statehouse reporters, including full-time, session-only, part-time, students, and others. Washington is tied for 19th among states according to the total number of statehouse reporters.
Corporate Arena - Washington
The corporate arena is where business management and corporate stakeholders make decisions that directly affect workers and families.
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Level of Regulation
What individual rules govern different sectors and industries? How are these regulations monitored and executed? How are these regulatory agencies funded? How does the public participate in shaping regulations? How do these align with or differ from national and regional/local regulations?
Equality Index
-12.6
The Tax Inequality Index measures the effects of states' tax systems on income inequality. It rank states from the most regressive to the least regressive. Washington received a -12.6, meaning it is ranked 1st amongst the most regressive states in the country
Presence and Influence of Unions and Unionized Employers
What is the state's private sector union density? What sectors are unions the strongest in, and what weight do these sectors have in the state's economy? What democratic practices exist in these unions? How are these unions tied to broader social and community movements?
Unionization
18%
In Washington 18% of total private and public sector workers are represented by unions. Washington is ranked 4th in terms of percentage of workers represented by unions.
