2026 General Election Voting Recommendations

This is not a low-stakes general election.

This year’s races decide who writes the rules and who pays the income tax.

On May 4, 2026, the Washington Supreme Court upheld the Secretary of State’s rejection of a referendum on ESSB 6346, the bill that created Washington’s first personal income tax in nearly a century. The Legislature wrote the tax so voters could not send it to the ballot the ordinary way. The Court let that stand. That is why who sits on the Court, and who writes the next statute, matters this year.

The tax is a 9.9% levy on income above $1 million, effective January 1, 2028, with the first payments due in 2029. The $1 million deduction is not locked in. The Legislature can change it by simple majority in any future session.

Pay attention to pensions. ESSB 6346 amended longstanding pension statutes so their old “tax exempt” language no longer shields public or private pension and retirement income from the new tax. Retirement income now counts toward the $1 million threshold like any other income. Today that only reaches retirees above $1 million, that will not last long. The statutory protection is already gone. When, not if, the threshold is lowered, ordinary pension income is exposed, with no exemption left to remove.

RWWC is recommending a YES vote on I-645 to repeal the income tax, YES on I-001 and I-638, and a full slate of candidates including the Supreme Court races. Election day is coming soon! You must vote on or before November 3 ballot. Before is best!

Ballots are mailed by October 16. Vote early. Then send a neighbor the recommendations.