Will Tacoma vote on $20 minimum wage measure in November? Here’s what judge says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pierce County judge blocks Tacoma's $20 wage initiative from Nov. 4 ballot
- City council missed Aug. 5 deadline; activist claim it was intentional
- Plaintiffs may seek Feb. 10 special election; court process remains ongoing
A Pierce County judge ruled Wednesday that a “Workers Bill of Rights” that would raise the minimum wage in Tacoma to $20, among other added worker protections, cannot be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot amid allegations that the city deliberately delayed a vote that would have done so.
After a hearing Tuesday, Superior Court judge Philip Thornton denied a request for an order requiring Pierce County and Pierce County Elections to put Initiative 2 on the November ballot, according to court documents. The request was brought by plaintiffs United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367, Tacoma for All and the Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America. The judge wrote he expected to submit a written opinion explaining the reasons for his decision in the future.
Because the plaintiffs raised several issues not previously asserted in their case, Thornton allowed the City of Tacoma and Pierce County the opportunity to submit additional briefing to several issues raised by the plaintiffs. Among those topics were that the City Council’s actions “were an infringement of due process rights and separation of power” as well as the federal and state constitutions’ protection of the local initiative process, according to Thornton’s order.
Tacoma spokesperson Maria Lee said on Wednesday the city cannot comment on topics of pending litigation. Pierce County spokesperson Libby Catalinich referred The News Tribune to Pierce County Auditor Linda Farmer, who is also named as a defendant in the case.
“The court denied the plaintiff’s request to require the county to place the initiative on the November 2025 ballot,” Farmer wrote in a statement. “As a normal course of business, our office will accept a request for resolution if filed in a timely manner.”
Ann Dorn, who spoke on behalf of Tacoma for All, said Wednesday she hoped Thornton would make the right choice and “hold the will of the voters” who brought forth the petition. Dorn said Tacoma for All and the other plaintiffs are awaiting further orders from the court to assess their next steps.
“It’s very clear, 10,000 people who live in Tacoma signed this petition and want the chance to vote,” Dorn said. “I believe this amounts to voter suppression. I think it very clearly threatens free and fair elections, and it’s critically important that the council honor the voice of the people, that they allow an initiative that residents want to vote on to proceed to the ballot.”
On Thursday Dorn added that there’s generally more voter turnout in November as opposed to February, which is why the plaintiffs were hoping the initative would be on the Nov. 4 ballot.
“February is a tough month for getting out the vote. Basically, we have to start contacting identified supporters about six to eight weeks prior to the vote, both by phone and in person. In November that timeline obviously is better weather, and no major holidays. In February, it means that it’s dark, cold and wet and those are tough conditions for volunteers or even paid staff,” she said in a text. “Lower voter turnout means less progressive voters.”
As previously reported by The News Tribune, the Tacoma City Council had to submit initiatives for this year’s Nov. 4 general election by Aug. 5 but did not take action until three days after the county’s deadline to qualify. The city has not clearly stated why it missed the deadline, but Mayor Victoria Woodards has said the city did not have enough time “to fully understand the implications and effects on our community.”
On Tuesday, Thornton seemed concerned that on Aug. 8 the council still drafted and voted on “an illegal resolution” to put the initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot, despite knowing the deadline had passed and the Pierce County Auditor could not approve it.
Activists with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367 and the Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America began gathering signatures for the initiative in February and met the requirements to get on the ballot.
As previously reported by The News Tribune, since the city missed the deadline to put the initiative on the November ballot, its next option would be to put the initiative on the ballot for a special election on Feb. 10. Pierce County elections manager Kyle Haugh said in order to do so, the council would need to put forward another resolution that identifies Feb. 10 as the date of the special election and submit that by Dec. 12, 2025.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 5:15 PM.
