ELECTION 2025: Fingerprint-tech levy renewal passing

(WSB photo – worker at High Point ballot box holding stickers offered to voters)

The voting is over and the vote-counting has begun in the April “special election.” The only measure on ballots in our area was the renewal of the levy that has funded the Automated Fingerprint Identification System for almost 40 years, starting at a rate lower than the just-expired version. The first vote count shows it passing with almost 60 percent approval:

KING COUNTY PROPOSITION 1
Approved – 151,495 – 59.72%
Rejected – 102,189 – 40.28%

17 percent of ballots were in by the time KCE did its first count. As of the latest ballot-return count, they’d received 20 percent. Next count will be out tomorrow evening.

Marcus April 22, 2025 (11:23 pm)

A little disappointing that only 60% of voting Seattle see the relationship between fingerprinting and fighting crime but that is enough to call this election a rousing majority. What really is defeating is that a whopping 40% voted the measure down😥. To me this means that methods to capture criminals are deemed too intrusive with police state and 1984 fears. But what it really means is that 40% of Seattle’s voting population are giving a pass to rapists, child abusers, murders, gun violence and yes petty crime. This is simply astounding and that 40%, in my opinion, needs to rethink their priorities.

K April 23, 2025 (3:57 am)

There’s a growing body of research showing fingerprints aren’t as unique or helpful as evidence as we have been lead to believe.
- Jethro Marx April 23, 2025 (8:23 pm)
  
  Fingerprints are not unique, according to multiple studies? Are they easily available for you to cite or would you like us to search for them while wondering if we’re being pranked? I’ll give you a thousand dollars if you can find two non-twins who will provide identical prints repeatedly.
  - EmilyInWS April 24, 2025 (8:18 am)
    
    The burden of proof is on the criminal justice system to show that fingerprints are actually unique. And not just that they are unique from person to person, but that the methods they use when collecting evidence actually work. The method for matching fingerprints isn’t to look at the whole print. It’s to compare specific parts of the print (loops, whirls, etc.) until you have an X-point match. (I say “X” because standards vary within the US and internationally.) So we have neither standards for what constitutes a match, nor proof that this point system makes unique identifications. Those of us who support evidence-based policy and decision making would say that you need to show scientific proof that this is true before using it to prosecute and convict people. Ideally this evidence would show (1) that fingerprints are unique; (2) that this principal holds for whole prints collected in an ideal setting and partial latent prints; (3) if the point match system is valid; and (4) if it is, how many points actually make a match (and, of course, error rates for all of these studies). Without this, it’s just junk science.
WS98 April 23, 2025 (7:19 am)

@Marcus, It’s a lot more than that to those who voted it down. It’s not at all Orwellian for people to be concerned about the complete lack of checks and balances regarding who the data can be shared with (current administration is a great example). https://www.thestranger.com/stranger-election-control-board/2025/04/18/80019769/vote-no-on-king-county-proposition-1
Anne April 23, 2025 (7:38 am)

I agree about the 60% Marcus. I wonder though if the 40% saying no are actually against renewing AFIS or are using this opportunity to make a stand on not raising property taxes-(yes it’s a renewal-not a new tax)? Personally I’m sick of so much being funded that way. It’s becoming hard for low & fixed income folks to afford to stay in their homes. But this levy is not where that stand should be taken. It’s too important & the one I’ll always vote yes on.
EmilyInWS April 23, 2025 (7:58 am)

Some people may indeed feel fingerprinting is intrusive. Some probably vote ‘no’ on any increase or continuation of taxes. But it’s also worth noting that fingerprinting, like most forensic science, is pseudo-scientific. From the Wikipedia page on fingerprints: “Their use as evidence has been challenged by academics, judges and the media. There are no uniform standards for point-counting methods, and academics have argued that the error rate in matching fingerprints has not been adequately studied and that fingerprint evidence has no secure statistical foundation.” And while it’s a common belief that fingerprints are unique from person to person, this has never actually been scientifically proven (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/myth-fingerprints-180971640/). Now, given all of that, I still voted ‘yes’ for a more practical reason: without the levy, it would be up to individual police departments to do this work. The choice as I saw it wasn’t between doing bad science or not. It was between doing bad science in a uniform way (‘yes’) or even worse science to varying standards across the county (‘no’). Just some food for thought.
- K April 23, 2025 (10:28 am)
  
  My sentiments exactly. Thanks for putting it into words.
Aurelius April 23, 2025 (8:54 am)

It’s for 40 years, that’s a long time! And this is for a technology thats already considered outdated. A lot can change in that time and already has in recent times. Note title of link is “myth of fingerprints” and subtitle is “they once felt the same way about fingerprinting” [being the ultimate crime fighting tool]. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/myth-fingerprints-180971640/
- WSB April 23, 2025 (9:21 am)
  
  To be clear, this isn’t a 40-year levy. The first levy for this was in 1986 and it’s been renewed several times since.
  - Aurelius April 24, 2025 (2:02 am)
    
    Thank you for the clarification! Wish I could claim that was a type-oh there (given advances in AI, 4 years is still a long time!)
Michel C April 23, 2025 (2:48 pm)

I am not questioning the value of a finger printing collection and analysis system. I am just tired of seeing inefficient government entities waste taxpayer dollars and keep taxing properties owners. As a soon to be retired person, I worry about taxes pricing me out of my residence.
Scrutzy April 23, 2025 (3:24 pm)

if fingerprinting is so important to their job, police departments should be able to fun it with their bloated budgets. great mental gymnastics connecting police funding scrutiny to supporting the worst of crimes. totally rational 🙄
- WSB April 23, 2025 (4:08 pm)
  
  As noted in previous coverage, this is not just a criminal-justice tool
  - YesAnd April 24, 2025 (3:10 pm)
    
    tho it is primarily a criminal-justice tool (as from their own FAQ)

Denden April 23, 2025 (6:59 am)

Glad to see that it is passing. However, I think that King County Elections is to blame for the poor results. To have only ONE item on the ballot that was due
on a Tuesday after Easter was CRAZY! It will be interesting to see the statistics
on voter turnout. This thing had very little publication, if any. There was
very little indication that this measure was a RENEWAL of the existing levy. We
were already paying for it. People are tired of new taxes, I get it.

Someone at headquarters needs to be “called to the carpet”
on this one.

Meeeee April 23, 2025 (7:28 am)

What many people don’t remember or realize is that the history of the AFIS levies springs from trying to catch the Green River Killer.AFIS was the cutting edge technology at the time and so the public was asked to fund bringing that tech to WA state.

k April 23, 2025 (10:16 am)

The Green River Killer was identified using DNA extracted from hair and saliva. AFIS had no impact on his capture or conviction. If that was the initial argument for the expenditure, it didn’t pan out.

Lola April 23, 2025 (9:22 am)

I am saddened by the fact that they think only Property Owners should be the only ones taxed for something like this? Those of you who live in apts, condos or duplexes you are not exempt if you voted yes as your landlord will raise your Rents for these Increases.Everything in WA State is taxed only thru the Property Owners think of some other way to get your money not just thru my wallet.

k April 23, 2025 (10:18 am)

Renters aren’t stupid. They know the taxes get passed on to them (rounded up to the next closest hundred, usually). Condo owners are property owners and pay taxes. Duplex owners also pay property taxes.
- Anne April 23, 2025 (4:08 pm)
  
  The key word there is OWNERS -owners know they will pay property taxes. Renters aren’t stupid -but I’m not convinced they all realize that when they vote for property tax increases those increases will be passed on to them When the whining about higher rents starts-again- they’ll be whining about something they played a part in.
  - k April 23, 2025 (5:24 pm)
    
    Landlords LITERALLY blame taxes for every rent hike, even ones that are well beyond what the actual tax increase is. There’s no way for renters to NOT know the tax increases are being passed on to them, because landlords complain about it incessantly.
reed April 23, 2025 (10:25 am)

Sounds like you support a state income tax Lolo.

DC April 23, 2025 (9:54 am)

Our tax system is so messed up. We really shouldn’t need a separate levy to fund every little program we run and putting the burden on housing during a housing crisis.

walkerws April 23, 2025 (11:16 am)

We need to have a state income tax.
Jake April 23, 2025 (11:47 am)

Until you make the wealthy pay their fair share (sales tax is so backwards and affects the poor more since we pay the most as it’s not income-adjusted) you will get never ending levy nonsense.

WS Guy April 23, 2025 (11:02 am)

I’m fine with fingerprinting but not with more taxes. They have to prioritize the money they have. I looked up the property tax on my apartment building – 40% of my monthly rent goes to pay property tax.

Derrick April 23, 2025 (1:42 pm)

An electronic database that costs $25 MILLION dollars per year, and has been funded since the 80s? This seems an ABSURD expense. Why does the database require a management team of THIRTEEN board members? Even if you could argue that fingerprinting was necessary as a tool to fight crime – this should absolutely not cost this much money. We have been doing this every year since the mid 1980s. That is HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of OUR dollars.

GC April 23, 2025 (2:33 pm)

Fingerprints are also used in schools to screen staff members and volunteers including parents that are around children along with background checks . This has deterred some people from working or volunteering probably for the good of the students.

anonyme April 23, 2025 (7:21 pm)

I’m not against the levy per se. I’m against an unnecessary 6-million dollar special election to renew it.

Delridge April 23, 2025 (8:07 pm)

Does everything bill/levi/whatever related to adding or maintaining property taxes in this city pass? I have been voting no on everything and it never seems to go my way…

Sorry, comment time is over.