2025 Washington Resolution 8201
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November 4, 2025 | |||||||||||||
Allow Investment of Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Fund in Stocks and Other Equities Amendment | |||||||||||||
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SJR 8201, officially the Allow Investment of Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Fund in Stocks and Other Equities Amendment, is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that appeared on the ballot in the U.S. state of Washington on November 4, 2025, concurrent with the 2025 United States elections. The resolution was approved by voters, with 58% voting in support and 42% voting in opposition.[1]
Background
The Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Fund, also known as the WA Care Fund, is a long-term care insurance program that provides assistance to members of the state workforce as they age. It was signed into law in 2019 and survived an attempt to repeal it in 2024. It is funded as a 0.58% tax on the paychecks of workers in the state.[2]
In 2025, governor Bob Ferguson and John Braun, the Republican leader of the Washington State Senate, joined together to support a ballot measure that would allow the state to invest in the stock market using funds from the WA Care Fund. After the initial announcement, it received support and opposition from both parties.[3]
Endorsements
Yes
- Statewide officials
- Bob Ferguson, governor of Washington (2025–present) (Democratic)[4]
- Mike Pellicciotti, state treasurer (2021–present) (Democratic)[5]
- Duane Davidson, former state treasurer (2017–2021) (Republican)[5]
- State legislators
- 11 Republican state senators,[5] including:
- John Braun, minority leader of the Washington State Senate (2020–present) and state senator from the 20th district (2013–present)[3]
- 13 Democratic state senators[5]
- 23 Democratic state representatives[5]
- Labor unions
- Service Employees International Union 775[6]
- SEIU 1199NW[5]
- Professional & Technical Employees Local 17[5]
- SEIU6 Property Services Northwest[5]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000[5]
- Washington State Labor Council[5]
- Washington State Nurses Association[5]
- Organizations
- AARP[5]
- Economic Opportunity Institute[5]
- Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates[5]
- National Organization for Women Seattle[5]
- Snohomish County Indivisible[5]
- Fuse Washington[5]
- ALS Association[5]
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society[5]
- Northwest Progressive Institute[7]
- Political parties
- Newspapers
- Everett Herald[8]
- The Columbian[9]
- The Seattle Times[10]
- The Stranger[11]
- Tri-City Herald[12]
- Union-Bulletin[13]
No
- State legislators
- Peter Abbarno, state senator from the 20th district (2021–present) (Republican)[14]
- Bob Hasegawa, state senator from the 11th district (2013–present) (Democratic)[15]
- Joe Schmick, state representative from the 9th district (2007–present) (Republican)[16]
- Mark Schoesler, state senator from the 9th district (2005–present) (Republican)[14]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Yes | No | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[17][A] | October 20–21, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 47% | 33% | 21% |
Results
The ballot measure was approved by voters.
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 1,105,304 | 57.82 | |
| Against | 806,299 | 42.18 | |
| Total | 1,911,603 | 100.00 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | |||
By county
| County[18] | Yes | No | Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,094 | 42.21% | 1,498 | 57.79% | -404 | -15.59% | 2,592 |
| Asotin | 2,694 | 44.32% | 3,384 | 55.68% | -690 | -11.35% | 6,078 |
| Benton | 17,884 | 42.53% | 24,169 | 57.47% | -6,285 | -14.95% | 42,053 |
| Chelan | 8,995 | 49.16% | 9,302 | 50.84% | -307 | -1.68% | 18,297 |
| Clallam | 12,755 | 48.78% | 13,391 | 51.22% | -636 | -2.43% | 26,146 |
| Clark | 64,033 | 53.44% | 55,783 | 46.56% | 8,250 | 6.89% | 119,816 |
| Columbia | 536 | 36.44% | 935 | 63.56% | -399 | -27.12% | 1,471 |
| Cowlitz | 10,250 | 41.39% | 14,512 | 58.61% | -4,262 | -17.21% | 24,762 |
| Douglas | 3,560 | 39.26% | 5,508 | 60.74% | -1,948 | -21.48% | 9,068 |
| Ferry | 628 | 32.51% | 1,304 | 67.49% | -676 | -34.99% | 1,932 |
| Franklin | 4,480 | 41.48% | 6,320 | 58.52% | -1,840 | -17.04% | 10,800 |
| Garfield | 367 | 39.08% | 572 | 60.92% | -205 | -21.83% | 939 |
| Grant | 5,811 | 37.64% | 9,629 | 62.36% | -3,818 | -24.73% | 15,440 |
| Grays Harbor | 6,391 | 41.30% | 9,085 | 58.70% | -2,694 | -17.41% | 15,476 |
| Island | 13,217 | 50.69% | 12,859 | 49.31% | 358 | 1.37% | 26,076 |
| Jefferson | 8,689 | 58.80% | 6,088 | 41.20% | 2,601 | 17.60% | 14,777 |
| King | 446,401 | 71.07% | 181,699 | 28.93% | 264,702 | 42.14% | 628,100 |
| Kitsap | 44,396 | 53.67% | 38,317 | 46.33% | 6,079 | 7.35% | 82,713 |
| Kittitas | 5,942 | 45.82% | 7,027 | 54.18% | -1,085 | -8.37% | 12,969 |
| Klickitat | 2,867 | 46.51% | 3,297 | 53.49% | -430 | -6.98% | 6,164 |
| Lewis | 7,770 | 39.23% | 12,037 | 60.77% | -4,267 | -21.54% | 19,807 |
| Lincoln | 1,336 | 37.09% | 2,266 | 62.91% | -930 | -25.82% | 3,602 |
| Mason | 7,935 | 44.51% | 9,893 | 55.49% | -1,958 | -10.98% | 17,828 |
| Okanogan | 4,323 | 43.99% | 5,504 | 56.01% | -1,181 | -12.02% | 9,827 |
| Pacific | 3,409 | 45.33% | 4,111 | 54.67% | -702 | -9.34% | 7,520 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,394 | 36.64% | 2,411 | 63.36% | -1,017 | -26.73% | 3,805 |
| Pierce | 98,941 | 53.16% | 87,163 | 46.84% | 11,778 | 6.33% | 186,104 |
| San Juan | 5,045 | 62.42% | 3,037 | 37.58% | 2,008 | 24.85% | 8,082 |
| Skagit | 17,373 | 50.52% | 17,016 | 49.48% | 357 | 1.04% | 34,389 |
| Skamania | 1,347 | 43.31% | 1,763 | 56.69% | -416 | -13.38% | 3,110 |
| Snohomish | 99,495 | 54.05% | 84,583 | 45.95% | 14,912 | 8.10% | 184,078 |
| Spokane | 73,650 | 51.48% | 69,402 | 48.52% | 4,248 | 2.97% | 143,052 |
| Stevens | 4,257 | 32.99% | 8,647 | 67.01% | -4,390 | -34.02% | 12,904 |
| Thurston | 46,252 | 56.06% | 36,249 | 43.94% | 10,003 | 12.12% | 82,501 |
| Wahkiakum | 770 | 42.52% | 1,041 | 57.48% | -271 | -14.96% | 1,811 |
| Walla Walla | 6,802 | 49.83% | 6,848 | 50.17% | -46 | -0.34% | 13,650 |
| Whatcom | 42,185 | 61.26% | 26,677 | 38.74% | 15,508 | 22.52% | 68,862 |
| Whitman | 4,999 | 50.76% | 4,850 | 49.24% | 149 | 1.51% | 9,849 |
| Yakima | 17,031 | 48.45% | 18,122 | 51.55% | -1,091 | -3.10% | 35,153 |
| Totals | 1,105,304 | 57.82% | 806,299 | 42.18% | 299,005 | 15.64% | 1,911,603 |
Note
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by the Northwest Progressive Institute
References
- ^ Hobbs, Steve (December 2, 2025). "Canvass of the Returns of the General Election Held on November 4, 2025" (PDF). Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Cornfield, Jerry (June 6, 2025). "Washington's long-term care program nears liftoff". Washington State Standard. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ a b Cornfield, Jerry. "Should WA Cares funds be invested in the stock market? Ferguson says yes". Washington State Standard. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ New, Elizabeth (May 1, 2025). "Washington state Legislature 2025: That's a wrap". Washington Policy Center. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Washington SJR 8201, Allow Investment of Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Fund in Stocks and Other Equities Amendment (2025)". Ballotpedia.
- ^ Cornfield, Jerry (September 5, 2025). "Debate on investing WA Cares funds in the stock market heats up". Washington State Standard. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ Leyden, Henry (September 24, 2025). "Washington voters have an opportunity to strengthen the WA Cares Fund by voting "Approved" on SJR 8201 this autumn". Northwest Progressive Institute. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
NPI urges Washington State voters to vote "Approved" on SJR 8201 this autumn
- ^ "Editorial: Yes on SJR 8201 a prudent investment for WA Cares". Everett Herald. October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ "In Our View: Constitutional amendment will benefit WA Cares". The Columbian. October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "Approve SJR 8201 to grow WA Cares Fund". The Seattle Times. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
- ^ "The Stranger's General Election 2025 Voting Guide". The Stranger. October 17, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
- ^ "Vote 'Yes' to strengthen WA Cares Fund for elder, long-term care". Tri-City Herald. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ "Editorial: Senate Joint Resolution 8201 can boost Washington Long-Term Care Fund". Union-Bulletin. October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "State Measures - Senate Joint Resolution No. 8201 Arguments For and Against". VoteWA. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ Cornfield, Jerry (May 2, 2025). "Decision on investing WA Cares tax dollars in stock market goes to ballot". Washington State Standard. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ Schmick, Joe (October 19, 2025). "Vote 'no' on Measure 8201: Don't gamble with mandatory payroll deductions". Spokesman. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ Villeneuve, Andrew (October 23, 2025). "A plurality of Washington voters say they're voting "Approved" on SJR 8201, a proposed statewide constitutional amendment". Northwest Progressive Institute. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ Hobbs, Steve (November 4, 2025). "Senate Joint Resolution No. 8201 - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
