With nearly a million votes counted, it appears that Washington state residents have rejected the labelling of genetically modified foods.
Washington has a vote by mail system, so results won’t be finalized for several days, but as of this morning 55 percent opposed GM labelling and 45 percent voted yes for Ballot Measure 522.
While the no vote was leading by nearly 100,000, supporters of GM labeling were not ready to concede defeat.
“For now the results are too close to call,” the Yes On 522 Campaign posted on its website. “Over the next few days more ballots will be counted.”
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The U.S. Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which committed millions of dollars to the no campaign in Washington, said the results are clear.
“We are pleased that the voters of Washington state rejected I-522 by a significant margin. I-522 was a complex and costly proposal that would have misled consumers, raised the price of groceries for Washington families and done nothing to improve food safety,” said Pamela Bailey, GMA president and chief executive officer, in a statement.
If the measure is ultimately defeated, it will be the second time a GM labelling ballot initiative failed on the west coast of the United States. In November 2012, California voters narrowly defeated Proposition 37 by a vote of 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent.
Media reports on the Washington labelling fight have focused, intensely, on the immense amount of money spent on the ballot measure.
Agri-food corporations and other entities spent an estimated $22 million opposing the initiative. On the yes side, supporters spent approximately $8 million.
The $30 million in contributions set a record for Washington state ballot measures, but money wasn’t the only factor in the debate.
Dozens of Washington newspapers wrote editorials condemning GM labelling as unscientific, unnecessary and costly. As well, nearly every farm group in the state opposed the measure, including the Washington State Farm Bureau.
The Washington office of the secretary of the state won’t certify the results until Nov. 26, but the outcome of Initiative 522 should be clear in a few days.
