The grandmothers’ stories followed a similar narrative: They formed a relationship with their grandchild, family dynamics shifted and now they are no longer permitted to see the child.

“I haven’t seen my grandchild since February of 2013,” said Judi Sullivan of Vancouver. “I try every six months to reach out. … It’s very, very hard.”

One of the state’s more emotionally charged issues is the battle between parents’ rights to decide who spends time with and influences their child and grandparents’ rights to see a child they love.

On a recent sunny afternoon, a handful of local grandmothers collected signatures to qualify Initiative 1431 for the ballot with the hope it will be voters who decide in November whether the state should have a grandparent visitation law.

Approval of the initiative wouldn’t mean grandparents could automatically override a parent’s decision.