Rantz: Activist Tim Eyman shares secret on how he keeps avoiding tickets for expired car tabs

Initiative guru Tim Eyman may not have paid for car tabs since 2019, but that hasn’t stopped him from driving — ticket-free — across Washington state. The anti-tax activist said he’s been pulled over seven times in six years, and yet, he says every law enforcement officer has let him go without issuing a citation.

Why? According to Eyman, it’s not negligence. He tells law enforcement that he’s engaged in a “peaceful political protest.” And they seem to agree with him.

“I talk about how the voters voted for $30 tabs, the system rejected it, and I’m asking [officers] to use their discretion and to not issue it because it’s a principled thing,” Eyman told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH. “I highlight very clearly, this is a peaceful political protest, and I think it’s an important thing to stand up for.”

Eyman knows driving with expired car tabs is illegal. But it’s not criminal — it’s a traffic infraction, like a parking ticket, and officers have discretion on whether or not to write a ticket. To Eyman, it’s worth the risk.

“It’s not about the money. For me, it’d be like $300 a year for my beat-up old vehicle,” he said. “We voted. We voted three times for it. It was unambiguous. For the court to say, ‘Well, we were confused by it’ — I mean, come on.”

Tim Eyman talked his way out of another expired car tab ticket

During his most recent stop, Eyman explained his protest to the officer and how he had been pulled over before and let go by law enforcement that understood his point. The law enforcement officer ran his license and returned with a surprising response.

“He goes, ‘Well, I’m going to be letting you go too. Are you ever going to renew [your tabs]?’ And I just said, ‘I can’t bring myself to do it.’”

Eyman said he always remains respectful, requests discretion, and emphasizes his clean driving record. And it seems to be working—not just for him, but for others.

“I have just gotten tremendous feedback from people having very similar experiences,” he noted. “Certainly some people have been ticketed, but by and large, once they explain it to law enforcement, this is a peaceful protest… it draws contrast to the left, where civil disobedience is firebombing cars and throwing bricks through windows.”

Over half a million Washingtonians are doing the same

Nearly 600,000 Washingtonians are driving with expired tabs. Not all are engaging in civil disobedience—some are simply broke thanks to the ever-increasing cost of living in this state, courtesy of Democratic policies. Car tab fees are exorbitant, and Eyman sees a movement forming.

“There’s strength in numbers. And I think a lot of citizens want to do something. This is something they can do,” he said. “It’s low risk, high reward.”

He’s not entirely wrong. The Supreme Court struck down Eyman’s $30 tab initiative in 2020, claiming the language was too confusing—despite voters passing it decisively. Then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson sabotaged the defense, and Gov. Jay Inslee absurdly claimed voters “confused” by what was literally printed on the ballot.

Eyman’s response? He refuses to pay. And it’s costing him nothing, because so far, he’s paid zero in tab fees or fines since 2019. If he ends up getting a ticket, it will be cheaper than paying his car tab fees.

“I just can’t bring myself to write that check until they respect our vote,” Eyman said.

“As bad as car tabs are — if you’re paying $300, they’d be $900 if it wasn’t for our earlier initiatives. We’ve made progress. But I won’t be satisfied until they’re $30,” he added.

In a state where criminals light police vehicles on fire, smoke fentanyl in parks, and are caught illegally possessing firearms with extended magazines, and walk free, it doesn’t seem all that radical to choose not to renew your car tabs.

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