COMMENTARY

Do you know many ballot issues you’ll be facing this November?

There are 12: Three statewide initiatives, one regional vote on light rail and eight proposed amendments to the King County Charter (or Constitution), some of which matter a lot.

How should you vote? Glad you asked.

Initiative 985, which would open HOV lanes to all traffic during off-peak hours, synchronize traffic lights, and prevent tolls from being imposed on one highway to collect money for a different one. Vote YES to send the state a message on congestion relief.

Initiative 1000, which changes state law from allowing someone to refuse medical aid so they may die naturally to letting them get a doctor’s prescription to hasten their death artificially. Vote No.

Initiative 1029, which requires more training for long-term home health care workers. A union (SEIU) is backing this measure which the legislature strongly opposed because the extra training requirements would make it more difficult for family members to care for their parents (they would likely hire SEIU members instead). The initiative also promises criminal background checks, but they are already required for most care providers. Vote N0.

Proposition One, which raises the sales tax half a penny to expand light rail. Its biggest drawback? When it’s built, its own supporters admit that it won’t make traffic congestion any better than it is now. Vote NO.

King County Charter Amendment No. 1, which calls for the county elections officer to be elected by the people instead of appointed by County Executive Ron Sims. Here, I’ll make it easy. If you’re happy with how elections have been run in King County, vote no; if you’re not, vote YES.

Charter Amendment No. 2 would add disability, sexual orientation and gender “identity and expression” to categories prohibiting discrimination in county employment. OK, I buy disability, sexual orientation is a closer call, but why did they add the words “identity and expression” to “gender”? Talk about confusion in the restroom. This sounds like civil rights taken a step too far. Vote NO.

Charter Amendment No. 3 would reduce the number of council members on regional bodies, like water quality and transportation from six to three. Since we’ve cut the number of council members from 13 to 9, that seems reasonable. Vote YES.

Charter Amendment No. 4 would create additional qualifications (hence restrictions) for county offices like tax assessor and sheriff. Have you noticed that the county council didn’t include their own offices? Vote NO.

Charter Amendment No. 5 would allow the county to hire someone to make revenue forecasts and have them used in tabulating the county budget. Good idea, and long overdue. Vote YES.

Charter Amendment No. 6 would give the council another 20 days to review the fine print of the County Executive’s proposed budget. Makes it tougher to sneak things through. Vote YES.

Charter Amendment No. 7 is war on the initiative process, pure and simple. It currently takes 10 percent of the signatures in the previous election to qualify a ballot measure that would amend the County Charter (only 8 percent is required for a statewide initiative). The county council decided to “reform” the process by doubling the 10 percent requirement to 20 percent — and tried to keep it off the ballot title. Send ‘em a message. Vote NO.

Charter Amendment No. 8 would make county offices non-partisan. I’ve previously endorsed the idea. Vote YES.