BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The latest to effort to control rent hikes in Bellingham is one step closer to heading to voters.

The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office said it’s received signatures for an initiative petition seeking to ban what it deems “algorithmic price fixing.”

Staff will start to verify the signatures on Tuesday morning, June 30, and continue daily until the process is complete. Whatcom County Auditor Stacey Henthorn tells My Bellingham Now that they’re hoping to complete it by Thursday.

Henthorn adds that it was submitted with nearly 5,700 signatures, well above the requirement of 3,167 it needs to be certified.

The petition would ban the use of paid algorithmic software by landlords that analyzes public and private rental market data to recommend prices or terms of leases. It would also prohibit landlords from working together to set rent prices.

According to Community First Whatcom, the organization behind the initiative, it’s difficult to gauge how prevalent the practice is in Bellingham since landlords don’t have to report their use of algorithms.

If the required signatures are verified, the initiative would be placed on the November general election ballot.