Wash. Rev. Code » Title 29A · Chapter 29A.72
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.72.130 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WA-LEGapp.leg.wa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
Petitions ordering that acts or parts of acts passed by the legislature be referred to the people at the next ensuing general election, or special election ordered by the legislature, must be substantially in the following form:
The warning prescribed by RCW 29A.72.140; followed by:
PETITION FOR REFERENDUM
To the Honorable . . . . . ., Secretary of State of the State of Washington:
We, the undersigned citizens and legal voters of the State of Washington, respectfully order and direct that Referendum Measure No. . . . . ., filed to revoke a (or part or parts of a) bill that (concise statement required by RCW 29A.72.050) and that was passed by the . . . . . . legislature of the State of Washington at the last regular (special) session of said legislature, shall be referred to the people of the state for their approval or rejection at the regular (special) election to be held on the . . . . day of November, (year); and each of us for himself or herself says: I have personally signed this petition; I am a legal voter of the State of Washington, in the city (or town) and county written after my name, my residence address is correctly stated, and I have knowingly signed this petition only once.
The following declaration must be printed on the reverse side of the petition:
I, . . . . . . . . . . . ., swear or affirm under penalty of law that I circulated this sheet of the foregoing petition, and that, to the best of my knowledge, every person who signed this sheet of the foregoing petition knowingly and without any compensation or promise of compensation willingly signed his or her true name and that the information provided therewith is true and correct. I further acknowledge that under chapter 29A.84 RCW, forgery of signatures on this petition constitutes a class C felony, and that offering any consideration or gratuity to any person to induce them to sign a petition is a gross misdemeanor, such violations being punishable by fine or imprisonment or both.
RCW 9A.46.020 applies to any conduct constituting harassment against a petition signature gatherer. This penalty does not preclude the victim from seeking any other remedy otherwise available under law.
The petition must include a place for each petitioner to sign and print his or her name, and the address, city, and county at which he or she is registered to vote.
[ 2013 c 11 s 74; 2005 c 239 s 3; 2003 c 111 s 1814; 1993 c 256 s 10; 1982 c 116 s 11; 1965 c 9 s 29.79.110. Prior: 1913 c 138 s 7, part; RRS s 5403, part. Formerly RCW 29.79.110.]

Notes:

Effective date—2005 c 239: See note following RCW 29A.72.110.
Severability—Effective date—1993 c 256: See notes following RCW 29A.84.280.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases, 2009–2012 · leading case: Doe v. Reed, 661 F. Supp. 2d 1194 (W.D. Wash. 2009).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Doe v. Reed, 661 F. Supp. 2d 1194 (W.D. Wash. 2009). · cites it 3× “RCW 29A.72.130. Once the referendum petition has been filed, the Secretary of State verifies and canvasses the names of the legal voters on the petition.”
Doe v. Reed, 177 L. Ed. 2d 493 (2010). “Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.72.130 (2008). In May 2009, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 5688, which “expand[ed] the rights and responsibilities” of state-registered domestic partners, including same-sex domestic partners.”
Doe v. Reed, 586 F.3d 671 (9th Cir. 2009). “Wash. Rev.Code § 29A.72.130. Once the referendum petition is filed, the Secretary of State must verify and canvass the names of the voters who signed the petition.”
Doe v. Reed, 561 U.S. 186 (2010). · cites it 2× “Wash. Rev. Code §29A.72.130 (2008). In May 2009, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 5688, which “expand[ed] the rights and responsibilities” of state-registered domestic partners, including same-sex domestic partners.”
Doe v. Reed, 823 F. Supp. 2d 1195 (W.D. Wash. 2011). · cites it 2× “Wash. Rev.Code § 29A.72.130 (2008). In May 2009, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire .”
John Doe 1 v. Sam Reed, 697 F.3d 1231 (9th Cir. 2012). “Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.72.130. Wash- ington’s Public Records Act (“PRA”) requires state agencies to make public records available for public inspection.”
John Doe1 v. Reed (9th Cir. 2009). “Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.72.130. Once the referendum petition is filed, the Secretary of State must verify and canvass the names of the voters who signed the petition.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.