| Graphic: Washington State Marijuana Law Reform |
There’ll be something different in the June 23 edition of Seattle alternative newspaper The Stranger — a copy of I-1068, the Washington state marijuana legalization initiative.
Initiative sponsor Sensible Washington said it raised funds last week through its Facebook page to cover the cost of printing 80,000 of the petitions and having them inserted in the free, weekly newspaper that’s widely distributed in the Seattle metro area.
The petition will be accompanied by a full-page ad which will explain to readers how they and their friends can sign I-1068 and get it into Sensible Washington’s hands by the first part of next week.
“Other initiatives are spending upwards of $1 million to get on the ballot with paid signature gatherers,” said Philip Dawdy, I-1068 campaign director and an initiative co-author. “We’re being forced to be a little more creative since it’s been difficult to get our volunteer signature gatherers in front of the public due to the terrible weather in Western Washington over the last two months.”
| Photo: The Stranger |
| Philip Dawdy, Sensible Washington: “Taking a shot at a creative idea” |
The idea to insert I-1068 into The Stranger came from two I-1068 volunteers who were frustrated by the constant rain at almost every major event the campaign has attempted to gather signatures at such as last month’s Folklife and this past weekend’s Fremont Fair.
Readers of the paper who are registered voters can sign the petition, get friends and family who are registered voters to sign the petition and mail it in to the address on the petition.
Alternatively, signers of I-1068 can also drop-off signed copies of the initiative at a growing list of area businesses. That list is on the campaign’s website at www.sensiblewashington.org.
“Since the beginning we’ve been hampered by having too little money and too much bad weather,” said Dawdy. “But our volunteers have just seen those as obstacles to be worked around, so here we are taking a shot at a creative idea towards the end of the campaign’s signature gathering phase. We sure hope it helps produce many thousands of signatures.”
According to Sensible Washington, it now has over 2,000 volunteers and the I-1068 petition is hosted at over 200 businesses statewide.
Sensible Washington has until 5 p.m. on July 2nd to submit 241,153 valid signatures to the Secretary of State’s office in order to qualify I-1068 for the ballot.
Currently, the all-volunteer effort reports that it is “well over halfway” to that goal and is in its final push over the top.
More information on the initiative can be found at www.sensiblewashington.org.