R-90 Sex Ed Passes on Strength of King, Urban Counties

It began life as a grassroots effort to defeat a late night 'sneak' bill that legislators passed earlier this spring during the end of the 2020 legislative session in Olympia.

It was a bill that would introduce controversial sexual education to K-5 children in Washington State Public Schools.  Despite the COVID pandemic, opponents were able to gather a state record 266,000 signatures to get it on the ballot this fall.

Referendum 90, if rejected, would have done away with this program. However, on the strength of King and some other urban counties, it passed by a margin of 59-40 percent.

Benton, Franklin, Lincoln and Adams Counties all rejected it, by at least 61 percent or more. Adams county said no 70-29 percent.

However, in King, the margin was well over 70 percent. 740,000 of the 1.9 million yes votes to pass it came from there alone.

Also, the measure passed by a 55 percent margin in Whitman County, that's largely due to the liberal voting leanings of WSU and it's associated people.

It also passed in Walla Walla County 52-47, that also attributed to Whitman College and similar liberal voting patterns.