On November 3, Kitsap County voters will decide whether Kitsap Public Utility District should have the authority to acquire electric facilities and sell electricity to its customers.
On July 28, the KPUD Commissioners voted unanimously to place the question on the ballot. If voters grant the authority, KPUD’s first action will be to hire outside expertise to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study to examine whether entering the electric business serves the interests of the county’s electricity customers.
A YES vote is the beginning of a process, not the end of one.
Stay in the Loop
Endorse Proposition 1
What a YES vote does
A YES vote means the Kitsap Public Utility District will have the authority to provide Kitsap residents with reliable, affordable, and accountable electric service AFTER a feasibility study.
Allows a full feasibility study of costs, rates, reliability, and infrastructure paid for by Kitsap PUD
Gives Kitsap County the chance to evaluate local public power options
Keeps future decisions in the open, with public input and transparency
What a YES vote does NOT do
If the numbers do not work, the effort stops.
It does not require KPUD to purchase PSE’s system
It does not commit ratepayers to a specific financing plan
It does not change who provides electric service today
Why We Support a Public Option
Local Accountability
Public utilities serve communities, not outside shareholders. Decisions on rates, reliability, and service would be made by Commissioners that Kitsap residents elect. We can talk face to face with decision-makers.
The Money Stays Here
PUD is a public non-profit with no need to pay shareholders. It creates local jobs and reinvests its revenue in dependable service, infrastructure, and conservation — keeping more energy dollars circulating within Kitsap. According to Washington’s Attorney General, in 2024, PSE paid outside shareholders $175.9 million, money that comes from ratepayers. PSE is now requesting a 29% rate increase over the next three years.
Cost Savings
Washington has 24 PUDs that offer electricity to their counties, with residential rates substantially below Puget Sound Energy’s. They receive electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration, which provides them clean energy at low rates. By law, KPUD would have access to BPA’s power. A study will determine whether the public utility model could give Kitsap more stable, affordable rates over time.
What is UnplugPSE?
Unplug PSE is an all volunteer campaign of Kitsap county residents supporting a YES vote on Proposition 1, which will be on the November 3 ballot. A YES vote means the Kitsap Public Utility District will investigate whether public power could provide Kitsap residents with reliable, affordable, and accountable electric service.
Help Unplug PSE. Volunteer, donate, or learn how you can support our campaign to pass Proposition 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is Proposition 1 that will be on the ballot?
Proposition 1 asks, Yes or No, should KPUD have the authority to acquire electric facilities and sell electricity to its customers.
If Prop 1 passes, does KPUD buy PSE’s system?
No. KPUD’s first action would be to hire outside expertise to conduct a feasibility study. KPUD is committed not to proceed with a buyout of PSE’s facilities without the facts and public input supporting the decision.
Why didn’t KPUD do a feasibility study before putting this question to the voters?
A comprehensive feasibility study is estimated to cost between $300,000 and $500,000. The KPUD commissioners are fiscally responsible. Before spending money on such a study, they wanted assurance that Kitsap residents wanted them to offer electricity. They have set aside money for the study.
If the vote passes, what further public input will there be regarding what comes next?
All KPUD meetings are conducted publicly and open to public comment. The results of the feasibility study and other findings would be reviewed by KPUD Commissioners at public meetings with input from the public.
Does KPUD have the capacity to run an electricity system?
Yes, but not yet for electricity. But KPUD knows how to operate public utilities. It has a staff of nearly 100 professionals. It operates water, sewer and broadband systems in many parts of Kitsap County. It maintains extensive underground and overhead systems and makes repairs during storms. If it were to offer electricity, KPUD would acquire PSE’s operating systems to add to its existing facilities. The crews that build and repair the transmission and distribution system would be locally based, direct employees, in contrast to PSE, which relies exclusively on outside contractors.
Would PSE have to sell?
If the feasibility study indicates that owning the system makes sense for the county’s customers, KPUD may move to buy out PSE. It has the authority to pursue this through a legal process overseen by the courts, although PSE may choose to negotiate a sale price, which has been the process in other instances where a PUD has bought out PSE.
How would a purchase be financed?
KPUD would look for low-cost financing such as tax-exempt municipal bonds and federal funds. The feasibility study would show whether a buyout is a good business deal for KPUD’s customer-owners.
Why does power from a public utility district cost less than from a private company?
Public utility districts operate as nonprofits, with no shareholders to pay, unlike a profit-making corporation. They charge rates on a cost basis. PUDs also have a right under the law to purchase cost-based hydro and other power from the Bonneville Power Administration at a lower cost than private utilities like PSE.
Is public power cleaner?
PUDs receive most of their energy from BPA, which is mostly carbon free. PSE is currently targeting to be 80% carbon free by 2030.
Has this been done before in Washington?
Yes, many times. Most recently, Jefferson County voters gave their PUD the authority to enter the electric business. JPUD bought out PSE’s facilities and began offering electricity in 2013. At current rates, a PSE customer using 800kWh per month pays $161.35 each month, which is 26% higher than JPUD.
Is KPUD a state agency?
No. KPUD is a local government entity with taxing, borrowing, and eminent domain authority. The KPUD board is elected directly by Kitsap residents and accountable to them.
What happens in a storm?
KPUD would have its own crews in the county ready to act. PUDs across the state have mutual aid agreements and help each other in emergencies using their own crews. For example, before a recently forecast storm, Chelan PUD crews traveled to Jefferson County to meet their fellow PUD’s emergency needs.