Rivian has pledged financial support to a citizen-led initiative aimed at opening Washington State to direct-to-consumer electric vehicle sales, stepping into state-level politics as it seeks to challenge long-standing dealer franchise laws.
The proposed ballot initiative would reverse a Washington statute that bars most automakers from selling vehicles directly to consumers. Under the current framework, Tesla is the only manufacturer granted an exemption, leaving Rivian, Lucid and other EV brands reliant on third-party dealerships or out-of-state sales.
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According to the Washington Coalition for Consumer Choice and Innovation, which is organizing the campaign, the goal is to qualify the initiative for the November 2026 ballot. To do so, proponents must collect at least 308,911 valid voter signatures and submit them to the Washington Secretary of State. State officials typically advise campaigns to gather closer to 390,000 signatures to account for invalid or rejected submissions.
Rivian has committed $4.6 million to help fund signature collection and voter outreach efforts statewide, the Washington State Standard reported. The company has not commented publicly beyond confirming its support for the measure.
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This marks the latest attempt to change Washington’s direct-sales restrictions. Similar legislative efforts in 2024 and 2025 failed to advance, with the most recent bill stalling in a House committee before expiring at the end of the session.
Neither Tesla nor the Washington State Auto Dealers Association has publicly commented on the ballot initiative. If successful, the measure would align Washington with a growing number of states that allow EV manufacturers to sell directly to consumers, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape for electric vehicle sales in the region.