Let’s Go Washington (LGW) announced that it has officially received initiative ballot titles from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office and is now preparing to launch a statewide signature gathering campaign aimed at repealing Washington’s newly approved income tax.
The grassroots organization says supporters across the state have already begun mobilizing in response to what it describes as an unprecedented expansion of state taxation authority. The campaign seeks to give voters a direct say on repealing the tax before it can take effect.
BREAKING: Let’s Go Washington (LGW) has received their initiative ballot titles from the WA State Attorney General & is preparing to launch its signature gathering campaign to repeal the Democrats' unconstitutional income tax.
“Our supporters have been mobilizing since Sen…
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) May 8, 2026
The announcement follows a recent Washington State Supreme Court decision rejecting LGW’s effort to pursue a referendum on the tax legislation due to the Legislature attaching an emergency clause to the bill. During an interview on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood argued that lawmakers deliberately structured the legislation to prevent voters from immediately challenging it at the ballot box.
Let's Go Washington founder Brian Heywood reacts after the WA State Supreme Court rejects case for a referendum on the income tax.
“There are five Supreme Court justices up for election…we never had a chance to shape the court like this.”
An initiative will be run on the tax pic.twitter.com/RIB6Sqrxr2
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) May 5, 2026
“For any reason whatsoever, the Legislature can say, ‘We don’t want to give voters a right to have a referendum on any tax that we pass,’” Heywood said during the interview.
Despite the ruling, Heywood said the organization quickly pivoted toward the initiative process and remains confident voters will ultimately reject the tax.
“We had a small loss today, but I think we had a big win,” Heywood told KVI listeners. “The court now has set their own standard by which they should be judging the constitutionality of the income tax.”
Governor Bob Ferguson and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen have both publicly stated that voters should have the right to weigh in on the income tax. LGW leaders argue, however, that legislative Democrats simultaneously crafted the law to shield it from a direct referendum challenge.
“Our supporters have been mobilizing since Senator Pedersen and Governor Ferguson began conspiring about how to keep voters out of the process,” said Darren Littell, spokesperson for Let’s Go Washington. “We couldn’t make the case any clearer than Jamie Pedersen did just this week: this is a tax on income. We’ll be doing everything we can to ensure that voters understand exactly what’s at stake and that their income isn’t safe from the intaxicated majority party trying to take their cut.”
Heywood echoed that concern during his KVI appearance, arguing that many Washingtonians do not believe the tax will remain narrowly targeted.
“If you just ask the question, ‘Do you think this will impact you?’ we win 60-40,” Heywood said. “People know this is going to expand.”
LGW says grassroots enthusiasm has accelerated rapidly in the early stages of the repeal effort. Thousands of Washingtonians have reportedly joined a pre-registration list requesting initiative petitions and volunteer opportunities.
The organization says it has heard from residents throughout the state who fear the tax will eventually broaden beyond high-income earners and become a wider tax on personal income.
During the KVI interview, Heywood also criticized what he described as excessive state spending and a lack of accountability in Olympia.
“How has the stewardship of your money been with this current legislation?” Heywood asked listeners. “Let’s spend the money wisely before we start raising more money.”
Let’s Go Washington plans to begin circulating petitions as soon as the final initiative language process is completed. Supporters can sign up for petition sheets, volunteer opportunities, and campaign updates through the organization’s website.
