Even as the August primary ballots are being counted, FAN is looking towards November, where three critical initiatives will be on the ballot. I-001 and I-638 would harm vulnerable children, and I-645 would strip funding from our schools and communities. Last month, Faith Action Network's board voted to endorse the opposition campaigns for all three initiatives. We will continue to share information and updates on the three initiatives at fanwa.org/initiatives. Read on to learn more about the initiatives as well as our upcoming FAN workshop, Engaging Our Faith Communities for Free & Democratic Elections , Tuesday, August 11th (6:30-8 pm) over zoom.

As a statewide multifaith organization representing people and communities of faith committed to justice, compassion, and the common good, Faith Action Network opposes Initiatives I-001 and I-638 and endorses the No Hate in Washington State campaign.

Our decision is rooted in a simple moral conviction: every child has sacred worth and deserves safety, dignity, privacy, and belonging.

I-001 would remove important safeguards for students in unsafe or complicated family situations. It could discourage young people experiencing abuse, sexual violence, bullying, family rejection, or homelessness from seeking help from a trusted teacher or school counselor. Parents and guardians are essential partners in a child’s life, but public policy must also protect children when disclosure could place them in danger.

I-638 would exclude transgender girls from participating fully with their peers and require girls to provide medical verification of their sex based on reproductive anatomy, genetics, or hormone levels. This invites scrutiny of children’s bodies and private medical information and could affect any girl whose appearance or gender expression is questioned.

We support strong families. We support fairness and opportunity for girls in sports. But we reject the false choice that protecting one group of children requires harming another. Fairness must never be built on fear, forced outing, humiliation, or exclusion.

The No Hate in Washington State campaign brings together educators, health professionals, advocates, faith communities, and other Washingtonians who believe these initiatives would remove protections for child-abuse victims and put girls and LGBTQ+ young people at greater risk.

As people of faith, we are called to protect those who are vulnerable, resist discrimination, and affirm the dignity of every person. Faith Action Network urges Washington voters to vote NO on I-001 and NO on I-638.

You can read more about these initiatives and why we as faith communities are encouraging a no vote in this one-pager. We encourage you to use this page as a resource and share with your communities.

Faith Action Network is also proud to join the statewide NO on 645 Coalition, a broad alliance of faith communities, educators, health care providers, childcare advocates, small businesses, labor organizations, and community groups working to defeat Initiative 645.  

Initiative 645 would repeal Washington’s newly enacted Millionaires Tax—a modest tax on annual household income above $1 million that affects only the wealthiest one-half of one percent (0.5%) of Washingtonians. The tax applies only to income earned above the $1 million threshold, not to the first $1 million a household earns. FAN, alongside our partners, worked hard to pass this legislation this session.

For Faith Action Network, this is about more than one tax or one ballot measure. Budgets are moral documents. The choices we make about raising and spending public resources reveal whose lives we value, whose needs we prioritize, and whether we are willing to share responsibility for the wellbeing of our neighbors. 

Why FAN Supports the Millionaires Tax 

The Millionaires Tax is expected to generate more than $3 billion annually and supports a broader package of investments and tax relief, including education, health care, childcare, free school meals, the Working Families Tax Credit, sales-tax relief on household necessities, and tax reductions for many small businesses. 

Washington has long relied heavily on sales and excise taxes that consume a greater share of income from families with the fewest resources. The Millionaires Tax is an important step toward a more balanced and equitable system—one in which those who have benefited most from our economy contribute more toward the schools, health systems, infrastructure, and communities that make prosperity possible. 

Our diverse faith and wisdom traditions teach that wealth carries responsibility. They call us to care for children, welcome those on the margins, protect people who are sick or struggling, and ensure that workers can provide for their families. Asking households earning more than $1 million a year to contribute a fairer share is consistent with these values of justice, stewardship, solidarity, and care for the common good. 

Learn more, join the coalition, and pledge to vote NO at No645.com. 

Join FAN’s Engaging Our Faith Communities for Free & Democratic Elections workshop on August 11, 6:30-8pm on Zoom. 

In this non-partisan training, we will cover:

• • What our faith traditions say about voting and the democratic process
  • The current attempts to keep eligible Americans from voting through federal interference, voter intimidation, and false anti-immigrant claims of non-citizen voting
  • Non-partisan ways you can engage your faith community in the electoral process, including ballot initiatives, and supporting free and democratic elections
  • Example programming and actions that your faith community can take to uplift and make visible the sacred right of voting and our shared values of democracy and voice
    

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