Rep. Chris Corry: When the people speak, Olympia should listen
Washington’s Constitution gives citizens a powerful tool: the right to propose laws directly through the initiative process. It exists for a reason. When government stops listening, the people still need to have a strong voice.
Right now, that voice is being ignored.
More than 860,000 Washingtonians recently signed petitions supporting two major initiatives to the Legislature: one to restore parental rights in education and health decisions, and another to protect fairness in girls’ sports. These were not fringe efforts. They were organized, lawful, and supported by hundreds of thousands of voters from every corner of our state.
I support both initiatives, and I hope voters will as well.
The Parents’ Bill of Rights initiative restores basic transparency and trust between families and schools. Parents deserve to know what their children are learning, when they are receiving medical or mental health services, and when serious issues arise. That principle once earned overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature. It passed nearly unanimously. Then, after courts upheld it, the majority party quietly rewrote it and weakened its protections. Parents noticed. They organized again. And now they are back.
The initiative protecting girls’ sports is about fairness and opportunity. Title IX was designed to ensure that female athletes have equal access to competition, scholarships, and recognition. That promise matters. This measure seeks to uphold it in a reasonable way, consistent with existing medical and eligibility processes. It does not target students. It protects girls who work hard, train for years, and deserve a level playing field.
Together, these initiatives reflect a simple truth: families want to be heard. They want transparency. They want fairness. They want institutions that respect them.
Yet Democrats in Olympia have already announced they will not even hold public hearings on these measures.
This is not how representative government is supposed to work.
Article II, Section 1 of the Washington Constitution is clear. Citizen initiatives to the Legislature are meant to take precedence over other legislative business. The framers understood that when the people speak directly, their voices deserve priority.
Ignoring that constitutional mandate should concern every Washingtonian, regardless of party.
To make matters worse, the majority party has proposed legislation (Senate Bill 5973) designed to make it even more difficult for citizens to use the initiative process at all. These bills ban common signature-gathering practices, impose new front-end hurdles, and invite politically motivated lawsuits. The result is more bureaucracy, more cost, and fewer voices.
Supporters claim this is about “integrity.” But Washington already has strict rules, verification systems, and penalties for misconduct. Even our current and former secretaries of state – one Democrat and one Republican – have warned these proposals will burden citizens and discourage participation.
In addition, and contrary to some allegations by supporters of this bill, there is no evidence of widespread fraud.
There is, however, a growing frustration towards those in power.
When voters organize. When they gather signatures. When they challenge the status quo. When they say, “No, we don’t like what you’re doing,” the response has been to dismiss them.
The majority party doesn’t like what it has been hearing from the people. And instead of listening, the reaction has been to ignore them and change the rules.
We have seen this before.
Two years ago, lawmakers promised to honor a voter-backed Parents’ Bill of Rights. They passed it. Then they dismantled it. That “bait and switch” damaged public trust. Now, as new initiatives gain momentum, the same pattern is emerging.
That is exactly why the initiative process exists.
It is the ultimate accountability mechanism. It is the people’s emergency brake. It allows citizens to correct course when government drifts too far from common sense and community values.
Weakening that safeguard weakens democracy itself.
This is not about one organization, one donor, or one political fight. It is about whether ordinary citizens still have a meaningful way to participate in lawmaking. It is about whether our Constitution still means what it says.
I believe Washington is stronger when families are respected, when girls’ sports are fair, and when citizens are heard. I believe our system works best when elected officials welcome accountability instead of fearing it.
We should honor the Constitution. We should hold hearings. We should debate these initiatives openly. And ultimately, we should trust the people.
Because in a free society, the voice of the people is not a problem to be managed. It is a principle to be defended.
