What does a YES vote on City of Everett Proposition No. 264 mean?

Everett initiative and referendum petitions would need signatures equal to 10% of votes cast in the last Mayoral election, signers would get 10 days to fix faulty signatures, and the City would have to prepare a Fiscal Analysis of each measure for voters.

What does a NO vote on City of Everett Proposition No. 264 mean?

Everett's charter initiative and referendum rules would stay as they are.

Does this make initiatives harder or easier to qualify?

It raises the initiative threshold (from 5% of votes in the last general election to 10% of votes in the last mayoral election) and lowers the referendum threshold (from 15% of votes in the last general election to 10% of votes in the last mayoral election), per the Herald's description of current rules.

What is the 10-day cure period?

If signatures are found invalid, the sponsor would have 10 days to correct and resubmit them.

Is there an argument against in the voters' pamphlet?

No. The Auditor's office says no one in the city came forward to write one.

How many votes does City of Everett Proposition No. 264 need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Everett Proposition No. 264?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

City of Everett Proposition No. 264 — Amendment to Four Sections of the Everett City Charter (Snohomish County)

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Everett voters

What it does: City of Everett Proposition No. 264 Amendment to Four Sections of the Everett City Charter The amendment to Sections 11.1, 11.2, 11.3 and 11.5 would require an initiative or referendum petition be signed by qualified electors in a number equal to ten percent of the total number of votes cast at the last preceding Mayoral election; would allow for 10 days to correct faulty signatures; would streamline the initiative process; and would require the City to prepare a Fiscal Analysis of the measure that would be made available to voters. Should these amendments to the Everett City Charter be enacted into law?
A YES vote means: Everett initiative and referendum petitions would need signatures equal to 10% of votes cast in the last Mayoral election, signers would get 10 days to fix faulty signatures, and the City would have to prepare a Fiscal Analysis of each measure for voters.
A NO vote means: Everett's charter initiative and referendum rules would stay as they are.
Needed to pass: A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean: Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

To qualify for the ballot, an Everett initiative petition now needs signatures equal to 5% of the votes cast in the last general election, according to the Herald.
A referendum petition on a council ordinance now needs signatures equal to 15% of the votes cast in the last general election, per the same report.
The Charter does not now require the City to prepare a fiscal analysis of an initiative.

If it passes

Both initiative and referendum petitions would need signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast at the last preceding Mayoral election; the Herald puts that at about 2,200 signatures.
If the City Clerk finds too many invalid signatures, the sponsor would have 10 days to correct and resubmit.
The City would prepare a fiscal analysis of a qualifying measure (the Herald says by the finance director, posted on the city website) and make it available to voters.
Other initiative procedures in Sections 11.1, 11.2, 11.3 and 11.5 would be rewritten to streamline the process.

Who would notice

Everett residents who sponsor or sign initiative and referendum petitions, and voters who decide those measures. It does not change any tax.

How it got here

Everett's Charter requires a Charter Review Committee every 10 years. The committee recommended these changes and the City Council modified them before sending five charter amendments to the ballot on July 15, 2026.

In the news

Everett City Council sends 5 charter amendments to Nov. ballot · The Herald (Everett), 2026-07-17

Written by SpectrumVote from 3 linked sources (1, 2, 3). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Who's for and against

Supporting (YES)

Voters' pamphlet committee for Proposition 264 (Mason Rutledge, Brent Terry) (campaign committee)

Opposing (NO)

No organized campaign found.

A sourced selection, not a complete list. Who supports a measure is listed so you can see who is behind each side; SpectrumVote takes no position.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Everett Proposition No. 264 mean?: Everett initiative and referendum petitions would need signatures equal to 10% of votes cast in the last Mayoral election, signers would get 10 days to fix faulty signatures, and the City would have to prepare a Fiscal Analysis of each measure for voters.
What does a NO vote on City of Everett Proposition No. 264 mean?: Everett's charter initiative and referendum rules would stay as they are.
Does this make initiatives harder or easier to qualify?: It raises the initiative threshold (from 5% of votes in the last general election to 10% of votes in the last mayoral election) and lowers the referendum threshold (from 15% of votes in the last general election to 10% of votes in the last mayoral election), per the Herald's description of current rules.
What is the 10-day cure period?: If signatures are found invalid, the sponsor would have 10 days to correct and resubmit them.
Is there an argument against in the voters' pamphlet?: No. The Auditor's office says no one in the city came forward to write one.
How many votes does City of Everett Proposition No. 264 need to pass?: A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on City of Everett Proposition No. 264?: SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?: The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Snohomish County ballot.

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