Shin discusses vote against same-sex marriage

For weeks, Democratic state Sen. Paull Shin of Edmonds kept silent about how he might vote on the bill legalizing marriage for same-sex couples.

And he didn't speak during Wednesday's debate in the Senate before he cast a vote against the bill. The proposed law did pass on a 28-21 margin.

Today, Shin, who is believed to be in his final term in office, formally broke his silence with release of a statement that begins:

I want to thank you for your understanding during these past weeks as I considered my vote on Senate Bill 6239 concerning marriage equality. My office has received hundreds of phone calls, emails, and letters, and I know that this is a very important issue to many of you in the 21st district. As your senator, there is no question that you deserve to know the reasoning behind my vote on this bill.

You can read the entire statement here.