Vote NO on I-2109

At Room One, we see every day what a difference accessible childcare makes to working families. We see people making impossible choices, between paying medical bills or putting food on the table.

A few years ago, there were some state laws passed that finally made things a little more fair for those of us struggling to make ends meet. In Washington State, the capital gains tax in particular brought in $900 million in 2023, all of which went directly to early childhood education, childcare, and public schools. Last year, this fund helped support 3 Okanogan County school districts and paid for 140 childcare slots, including some at the Little Star School!

Despite the good that this tax is doing, there's a campaign to get it taken away. While we normally don't take a public position about issues like this, the possibility of losing these funds is catastrophic for our county and community. And, there are plenty of unhelpful narratives surrounding this ballot initiative, such as the campaign signs popping up that read: "Vote yes to pay less."

For 99.8% of us living in Washington State, a 'yes' vote would actually take away this funding, resulting in working families in our community paying more. In order for someone to be affected by the capital gains tax, they have to sell a HUGE amount of stocks and bonds--only 13 people paid into this tax in Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties in 2023! This tax as it stands encourages a world in which we take care of each other: by paying a fair share of taxes, the wealthiest people in our state directly contribute to underfunded programs that benefit our kids.

If you'd like more information (or want to know how to spread the word) about why Room One is voting NO on I-2109, reach out to our Advocacy Lead by emailing jess@roomone.org.