Marriage initiative won’t qualify for ballot

OLYMPIA — A Washington initiative to define marriage as between a man and a woman is not getting enough signatures to qualify for the ballot alongside the state’s marriage referendum.

Initiative sponsor Stephen Pidgeon told The Olympian that the effort is about 140,000 signatures short. He concedes that it will not qualify.

Voters will still decide a referendum on the state’s new gay marriage law. Opponents of gay marriage collected enough signatures to force that vote.

Supporters of charter schools are also hoping to have enough signatures to qualify a measure for the ballot. Initiative promoter Tim Eyman is also looking for a vote to reinforce the state’s two-thirds vote requirement for tax increases.