Happiness is a Lost Cause

Well, sometimes...

A massive last-ditch effort is being made to try to get an initiative to halt government benefits for undocumented immigrants on the ballot this fall, the prime sponsor says.

With fewer than half the signatures that likely will be needed on petitions for Initiative 966 to date, however, there is little chance the measure will go to a vote of the people, said Mathew S. Manweller, a political science professor and specialist in initiatives and direct democracy at Central Washington University.

"They're dead in the water," Manweller told the Yakima Herald-Republic.

As of Tuesday, I-966 had drawn about 120,000 signatures, said sponsor Bob Baker of Mercer Island, a commercial pilot.

The deadline for submitting at least 224,880 valid signatures of registered voters is 5 p.m. Friday, and Secretary of State Sam Reed has said about 260,000 total signatures will likely be needed because at least 15 percent of signatures usually are found to be invalid.