Welch: Lawmakers should listen to public from all angles
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026
By Todd Welch / Herald Columnist
The state income tax proposal, Senate Bill 6346 — dubbed the millionaires tax — is moving quickly through Olympia.
It has already passed the Senate with the support of every Snohomish County Democrat and cleared the House Finance Committee. Its next stop is likely the House floor and then Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk. What should concern every Washingtonian is not only the policy itself, but how lawmakers are responding to an unprecedented level of public opposition.
During the Senate hearing, more than 60,000 people signed in opposition. That alone set a record. When the bill reached the House Finance Committee, the number surged to more than 116,000. For comparison, the previous high for a tax proposal was roughly 40,000 sign-ins last year. This is not a narrow interest group. It is a massive number of citizens taking time out of their daily lives to participate in the legislative process and send a clear message.
Yet instead of reflecting on what that level of engagement means, some lawmakers have tried to minimize it. Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, said publicly that she does not base legislative decisions on how many people sign in on a bill. Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, opened the Finance Committee hearing by suggesting that more than 19,000 entries were duplicates or fraudulent. Even if that figure is correct, it still leaves well over 100,000 Washingtonians on record in opposition. In any other context, that would be recognized as extraordinary civic participation.
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, has downplayed the weight of testimony of those who don’t travel to Olympia for hearings. That raises a basic issue of accessibility. Most people cannot take a weekday off work, arrange childcare and drive across the state to wait hours for a one-minute opportunity to speak. The sign-in system exists so that regular citizens, not just lobbyists and those with flexible schedules, can be heard.
When elected officials signal that this kind of participation matters less, it erodes trust in the process. Representative government depends on people believing their voices count, whether they testify in person or participate through the tools the Legislature provides.
There is also a broader concern about transparency and long-term intent. In 2020, the Washington Policy Center published a 2018 email from Sen. Pedersen outlining a strategy in which adoption of a capital gains tax could lead to a court ruling that income is not property, creating a pathway for a broader income tax passed by a simple majority. At the time, the capital gains tax was described as a way to reduce reliance on property and sales taxes. Those taxes have not decreased.
Many Washingtonians worry that a tax initially aimed at the highest earners will not remain focused on that income level. That concern is rooted in the history of tax policy, where thresholds often shift over time as governments seek additional revenue. Whether one supports or opposes an income tax, that is a debate worth having openly and honestly, especially when that legislation is not being considered for a public vote.
What should not be up for debate is the value of civic engagement. Participation at this scale is rare. It reflects a public that is paying attention and willing to use the system to make its views known. Dismissing those voices risks sending the message that involvement is pointless, and that is a dangerous message in any democracy.
The past several weeks has shown something important. When Washingtonians speak up in large numbers, the political conversation changes. Proposals that might otherwise move quietly receive scrutiny. Lawmakers are forced to respond. That is how the system is supposed to work.
SB 6346 is still alive, and so is the public’s opportunity to be heard. Regardless of where you stand on the policy, this moment demonstrates that engagement matters. The more consistent and widespread the participation, the harder it becomes to dismiss.
In a healthy democracy, record-breaking civic involvement is not an inconvenience. It is the point.
Todd Welch is a Herald columnist covering local and state issues.
