In the news: GeekWire, August 2026
Washington's last clock change. Ever.
A citizens' initiative to permanently end the biannual clock change in Washington State, grounded in science, respectful of federal law, and actionable right now. Permanent standard time now; permanent daylight time once Congress allows.
We would rather the Legislature do this in 2027. If they don't, we file in March and the voters decide in 2028.
Starting November 1
On November 1, British Columbia won't be changing its clocks.
B.C. announced in March that its spring forward would be the province's final clock change. Yukon stopped in 2020. Starting this November, Vancouver is an hour ahead of Seattle every winter, and stays that way until March. Washington's legislature voted to end the clock change in 2019 and has been waiting on Congress ever since.
The Initiative
Three provisions. Clean logic.
The Last Fall Back Act is structured to work immediately, and to handle any future federal action gracefully.
Permanent Standard Time: Immediately
Once enacted, Washington observes Pacific Standard Time year-round. If the Act takes effect after a fall-back date, as it would following a November election, the very next spring-forward is canceled. No waiting for the following autumn.
Effective immediatelyNo More Clock Changes: In Either Direction
All Washington State agencies, instrumentalities, and political subdivisions are prohibited from advancing official timekeeping on any subsequent Spring Forward Date. The disruption ends permanently.
Year-round stabilityA Built-In Federal Bridge
If Congress ever enacts a law permitting states to permanently observe Daylight Saving Time, Washington transitions to permanent PDT on the next spring date, at least 60 days after federal authorization. Either way, the clock-changing ends.
Future-proofWhy standard time, not permanent DST?
States have clear federal authority to adopt permanent standard time under 15 U.S.C. § 260a, the same authority Arizona and Hawaii use today. Permanent daylight saving time, by contrast, requires Congressional authorization that has not been enacted. The Last Fall Back Act takes the path that's available now: ending the clock change immediately, then switching to permanent daylight time automatically once Congress allows.
Read 15 U.S.C. § 260a, the Federal Uniform Time ActLatest
Updates
The Portland problem is real. Oregon has already voted on it twice.
If Washington ends its clock change and Oregon doesn't, Clark County goes an hour off from Portland. Oregon's own legislature has voted twice to close that gap.
All updates →The Evidence
The science is not ambiguous.
Every major medical organization that has studied the question agrees on this much: two clock changes a year cause real, measurable harm. These are transition effects, the kind that spike right after a change and settle back down within days, and they disappear completely once Washington stops switching, regardless of which time the state lands on. A separate category, level effects, is about the tradeoffs of staying on one time permanently, and it cuts in both directions. We give it a full, honest treatment on the FAQ rather than avoid it here. What follows is the well-documented part: harm caused by the switch itself.
Barnes & Wagner's analysis of national injury data found that on the Monday after the spring change, workers slept about 40 minutes less and sustained 5.7% more workplace injuries, with 68% more workdays lost. No comparable spike follows the fall change, when an hour is gained.
Peer-Reviewed · apa.orgThe AHA documents the evidence that the spring clock change is associated with measurable increases in myocardial infarction and stroke in the days immediately following. Sleep disruption triggers cardiovascular events in vulnerable individuals.
AHA News · heart.orgSipilä et al. examined a decade of Finnish stroke hospitalizations and found ischemic stroke incidence elevated in the first two days after a daylight saving transition, with older adults and cancer patients the most susceptible.
Peer-Reviewed · Sleep MedicineFritz et al. analyzed 22 years of U.S. crash data and found fatal motor-vehicle accidents rose about 6% in the workweek after the spring transition, roughly 28 additional deaths a year, with the risk highest in the morning and on the western edge of each time zone.
Peer-Reviewed · cell.comA 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis pooling 12 studies across 10 countries found a measurable increase in acute myocardial infarction risk in the days after spring forward, with no matching rise after the fall change back.
Systematic Review · PMCCunningham, Prugh and colleagues analyzed more than a million deer-vehicle collisions across 23 states and found collisions rose about 16% in the week after the fall shift to standard time, as evening commutes move abruptly into darkness during deer breeding season. Unlike the cardiac and workplace-injury literature, this is a harm the fall change causes on its own.
Peer-Reviewed · washington.eduSubstitute House Bill 1196, sponsored by then-Rep. Marcus Riccelli and signed into law in 2019 as Chapter 297, expresses the legislature's intent to observe permanent daylight saving time, but only if Congress acts. That authorization hasn't come. The Last Fall Back Act takes the path that doesn't require waiting.
Public Law · app.leg.wa.govThe Path Forward
How this becomes law.
The fastest way to end the clock change is the Legislature. Contact your state legislator and ask them to introduce and pass the Last Fall Back Act, permanent standard time now, then permanent daylight time once Congress allows, in the 2027 session: find your legislator. If they don't act, we file an Initiative to the Legislature in March 2027 and put the same measure back in front of them in 2028.
The fastest way to end the clock change is the Legislature. Contact your state representatives and ask them to introduce and pass the Last Fall Back Act in the 2027 session: find your legislator. Washington already voted for permanent daylight time in 2019, but it's blocked until Congress acts. The Last Fall Back Act ends the clock change now on permanent standard time, and switches to permanent daylight time automatically once Congress allows.
The 2027 session runs from mid-January through late April, with bills typically signed into law by early May. If the Legislature passes the Last Fall Back Act, the job is done. No ballot initiative needed.
If the session stalls, we file an Initiative to the Legislature with the Washington Secretary of State. The filing window opens while the 2027 session is still underway.
Gathering signatures toward a target of about 386,000, through volunteers and partner networks. That is a 20 to 25 percent cushion above the 308,911 legal minimum, since some signatures are always invalidated. Signatures are due about ten days before the 2028 legislative session opens. (Washington Secretary of State.)
A certified initiative goes to the 2028 Legislature first. They can adopt it outright, which makes it law without a ballot vote, or decline to act, in which case it appears on the November 2028 ballot and a majority vote makes it law.
Washington falls back in November 2028. The spring-forward scheduled for March 2029 is canceled. Washington is on permanent Pacific Standard Time: forever, or until Congress authorizes states to adopt permanent DST, at which point a smooth, planned transition follows.
Express Your Interest
Ready to support this?
First, ask your legislator to pass the Last Fall Back Act in the 2027 session: find your legislator. If they don't, we file an Initiative to the Legislature in March 2027 and start gathering signatures. Either way, add your name to stay informed and be ready when the petition opens.
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