| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2010 2:17 am |
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Local News 
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Gay rights measure’s slim lead holds Opponents say they won’t concede When Referendum 71 qualified for the ballot a few months ago, it made gay and lesbian couples uneasy.The ballot measure was going to allow voters to decide whether same-sex partners would get many of the same rights as married couples. Post-election ballot tallies were putting their fears to rest, with their cause holding a slim but steady statewide edge on Wednesday. “This is a historic vote,” said Joshua Friedes, campaign manager for Approve 71. “It is the first time that any state has affirmatively voted to protect gay and lesbian families with a system of comprehensive legal protections.” On the second day of counting, statewide totals showed 51.65 percent approving the measure and 49.35 percent rejecting it. As of Wednesday evening, 593,956 Washington voters had voted to approve R-71 and 556,090 to reject it — a difference of 37,866. Opponents of the “everything but marriage” measure weren’t about to admit defeat. “We’re not willing to concede in our own mind, or certainly not publicly, until a whole lot more votes have been counted,” said Gary Randall of the Faith and Freedom Network, one of the main opponents of the law. Should R-71 pass, Randall said opponents would definitely be looking at options, though they were not ready to discuss details. Voters will determine the fate of a law that Gov. Chris Gregoire signed in May, which gave state-registered domestic partners the same rights as married spouses. A successful petition drive from opponents of the law put the issue on Tuesday’s ballot. The law also applies to heterosexual couples where at least one member is 62 years or older. The state legalized domestic partnerships in 2007, granting limited rights such as the ability to visit a partner in the hospital. Last year, lawmakers expanded that law to give domestic partners more rights in legal actions such as probates and trusts. The overall percentages weren’t likely to change much as more votes are counted, predicted David Ammons, a spokesman for Washington’s Secretary of State’s Office. “Most of the counties will probably be pretty buttoned down by the end of the week,” Ammons said. “The (ballots) that are out will probably uphold the current proportions.” The tallies varied tremendously by region. Snohomish County on Wednesday was in line with the state — 51.7 percent for and 48.3 percent against, with 51,222 votes to approve R-71 and 47,809 to reject. Those totals came with 27 percent of the total ballots counted in the county. Elections staff had predicted a turnout of slightly more than 50 percent. In Island County, the measure was passing with 10,760 votes or 53.1 percent of the total, compared to 9,510 votes or 46.9 percent against. In King County, the measure was passing by a 2-to-1 margin. Outside the Puget Sound region, it was being roundly rejected. R-71 isn’t gay marriage, but people on both sides of the issue suggested that could be the next step. “The gay community and our allies will be continuing our work,” said Friedes of Approve 71. “The work for equality continues. The approval of Referendum 71 does not equal full equality for gay and lesbian people in Washington state.” Randall, of the Faith and Freedom Network, said R-71 passing is “the last incremental step to same-sex marriage.” “There is absolutely no question of that,” he said. “The overarching issue for me personally is that it redefines an institution that is as old as the human race. That bothers me a lot. I can’t see where that will lead to anything good.” No election results are official until the state certifies them on Nov. 24. Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. |
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