a step in the right direction but not yet a home run
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Washington_Referendum_71_(2009)
Referendum 71 was a 2009 ballot [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum"]referendum[/ame] that asked [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington"]Washington[/ame] state voters to re-confirm the expansion of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_partnership"]domestic partnership[/ame] rights and obligations in Washington's originally limited [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_partnership_in_Washington"]domestic partnership legislation[/ame]. The expansion (SB 5688) was signed by Governor [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Gregoire"]Christine Gregoire[/ame] on May 18, 2009.[1] Referendum 71 passed by a margin of 51-49%, thereby affirming the state's recognition of same-sex partnerships. This was the first statewide popular vote in the United States that gave the (state-level) rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.
On July 25, 2009, Protect Marriage Washington turned in 137,881 signatures to the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_of_Washington"]Washington Secretary of State[/ame]'s office. 120,577 valid signatures were required to qualify the referendum for the November 2009 ballot. After a complete count of all submitted signatures, 121,757 were officially verified on September 1, 2009.
Enforcement of the domestic partnership legislation had been delayed pending a verification of the signatures; with enough valid signatures to qualify the referendum for the November ballot, the legislation is further suspended until that vote can be held and the ballots counted.[2]
Washington State law mandates that when a measure already signed into law is put up for a referendum, voters vote either "approved" to confirm the law or "rejected" to oppose it. Thus, although the petition to put this law to a vote was circulated by its opponents, the ballot wording is such that voters vote in the affirmative to approve the law or in the negative to reject it.
Several lawsuits were filed to block R-71 from appearing on the ballot, but none was successful in court.[3] There is an active lawsuit to be heard by the Supreme Court to decide if and when signatories to ballot measures are to be revealed publicly.
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Washington_Referendum_71_(2009)
Referendum 71 was a 2009 ballot [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum"]referendum[/ame] that asked [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington"]Washington[/ame] state voters to re-confirm the expansion of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_partnership"]domestic partnership[/ame] rights and obligations in Washington's originally limited [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_partnership_in_Washington"]domestic partnership legislation[/ame]. The expansion (SB 5688) was signed by Governor [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Gregoire"]Christine Gregoire[/ame] on May 18, 2009.[1] Referendum 71 passed by a margin of 51-49%, thereby affirming the state's recognition of same-sex partnerships. This was the first statewide popular vote in the United States that gave the (state-level) rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.
On July 25, 2009, Protect Marriage Washington turned in 137,881 signatures to the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_of_Washington"]Washington Secretary of State[/ame]'s office. 120,577 valid signatures were required to qualify the referendum for the November 2009 ballot. After a complete count of all submitted signatures, 121,757 were officially verified on September 1, 2009.
Enforcement of the domestic partnership legislation had been delayed pending a verification of the signatures; with enough valid signatures to qualify the referendum for the November ballot, the legislation is further suspended until that vote can be held and the ballots counted.[2]
Washington State law mandates that when a measure already signed into law is put up for a referendum, voters vote either "approved" to confirm the law or "rejected" to oppose it. Thus, although the petition to put this law to a vote was circulated by its opponents, the ballot wording is such that voters vote in the affirmative to approve the law or in the negative to reject it.
Several lawsuits were filed to block R-71 from appearing on the ballot, but none was successful in court.[3] There is an active lawsuit to be heard by the Supreme Court to decide if and when signatories to ballot measures are to be revealed publicly.
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