Protect the Initiative Process: NO on I-517 is a yearlong effort to build a strong, diverse statewide coalition of people and organizations who want to defeat Tim Eyman’s I-517 and return Washington’s initiative process to its roots.
Eyman is indisputably the most prolific initiative sponsor in Washington State history, having filed hundreds upon hundreds of measures since the late 1990s (most of them being carbon copies of the same scheme). He has qualified over a dozen initiatives to the ballot with the financial backing of the gambling industry, the oil industry, the banking industry, and wealthy conservatives like investment banker Michael Dunmire or Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, Jr.
However, most of the initiatives he has qualified have either been struck down by the courts or rejected by the people. Nevertheless, Eyman makes money on his initiatives whether they pass or fail, and losing does not faze him.
I-517 is purposely intended to make it easier and cheaper for Tim Eyman to run initiatives every year, so he can increase the output of his initiative factory and make more money. Initiatives are all Eyman does; he used to sell fraternity wristwatches, but he gave up on that business after realizing how lucrative initiatives could be. Initially, Eyman concealed the fact that he was pocketing his followers’ contributions for his own personal use. After he was caught lying about taking the money, he began openly raising money for himself (as opposed to for his schemes) as well as paying himself from his campaign committees.