Gay marriage the next step in WA?

While the Seattle mayoral race may be taking media precedence in the upcoming off-year election, it is a small yet powerful referendum that is growing in both popularity and controversy.

Referendum 71 (R-71), which would uphold Washington State's domestic partnership bill if approved, has been a contentious issue among Washington voters. According to a new poll by Survey USA the referendum will be overwhelmingly approved in the Seattle area but will have more trouble for proponents in the areas outside of the metropolis. For those who wish to approve the referendum the fact that the race is so close has becoming increasingly frightening.

The most recent expansion to the domestic partnership bill was signed in by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire in 2007. Included in the latest expansion is the right to allow same-sex couples the privilege to visit their partners while in the hospital as well as the right to inheritance the will among many things. Under this newest piece of legislation same-sex couples are afforded all of the same rights as heterosexual couples with one exception—the word marriage.

Washington state currently has 12,000 registered domestic partners who have been awarded the same legal rights as their heterosexual counterparts according to the REF-71 campaign.

Those in opposition of the referendum, most specifically conservative populations, indicate that the approval of this referendum may very well lead to the label of marriage. Conservative voters have indicated that this vote will determine Washington's fate of gay marriage.

A large group of religious conservatives collected enough signatures in July to put the referendum on the ballot. They collected a total of 120, 577 signatures.

According to Protect Marriage-Washington an approval of referendum 71 “will demolish the state's historical understanding and definition of marriage as that of uniting a man and a woman for life as Washington State will immediately become subject to litigation by same-sex partners demanding that the courts overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and impose "same-sex marriage."

Opposition to the referendum primarily runs along similar talking points to the national debate.

Because it as on off election year--there are not very many "exciting" measures on the ballot and/or "major" voting--it is very common for voting to be down in numbers.

The referendum language has caused controversy because many believe it is not clear. The ballot measure will ask the following of voters:

“Statement of Subject: The legislature passed Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 concerning rights and responsibilities of state-registered domestic partners (and voters have filed a sufficient referendum petition on this bill).

“Concise Description: This bill would expand the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, except that a domestic partnership is not a marriage."

Voters are then asked to either approve (a vote to uphold same-sex rights) or reject the referendum.