Dive Summary:
- A measure to repeal a plastic bag ban in Issquah, Washington fell short after organizers failed to collect enough signatures to put the measure on the local ballot.
- The "Save our Choice" campaign started one month after the city council approved the plastic bag ban with a 5-2 vote.
- Organizers collected 2,054 signatures - short of the 2,458 required for the measure to be sent to election officials for additional validation. Proponents vowed to continue to collect signatures.
From the article:
The proposed measure to repeal the Issaquah plastic bag ban faces a questionable future after city officials said the bid did not qualify for the November ballot after supporters failed to gather enough signatures from registered Issaquah voters.
But organizer Craig Keller said the repeal campaign, called Save Our Choice, continues to collect signatures in order to place the repeal measure before Issaquah voters.
Keller and volunteers collected signatures at high-traffic stores and in neighborhoods throughout Issaquah, but city officials said the team did not collect enough. The process to advance the ballot measure is in limbo as volunteers continue to work.
“There’s been such a significant number of citizens that have voiced their displeasure in a campaign that, as far as I know, that’s unprecedented,” Keller said.
Save Our Choice stemmed from a recent unsuccessful effort to undo the Seattle plastic bag ban. The ordinance in Seattle — a model for the Issaquah legislation — took effect July 1.
