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Washington Referendum 71, Domestic Partners Rights and Responsibilities Measure (2009)
| Washington Referendum 71 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Family-related policy and LGBTQ issues |
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| Status |
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| Type Veto referendum |
Origin |
Washington Referendum 71 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Washington on November 3, 2009. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported upholding Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688, which expanded the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, but provided that a domestic partnership is not a marriage. |
A "no" vote opposed upholding Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688, which expanded the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, but provided that a domestic partnership is not a marriage. |
Election results
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Washington Referendum 71 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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951,822 | 53.15% | ||
| No | 838,842 | 46.85% | ||
Overview
What did this referendum do?=
This referendum asked voters whether to uphold or reject Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688, which expanded the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, but provided that a domestic partnership is not a marriage.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Referendum 71 was as follows:
| “ | 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. 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. Should this bill be: [ ] Approved [ ] Rejected | ” |
Fiscal note
A fiscal impact statement was included in the 2009 Voters' Guide. The fiscal impacts of Initiative 985 are described as follows:[1]
| “ | Referendum 71 would enact legislation, E2SSB 5688, that expands the rights, responsibilities and benefits of registered domestic partners. Referendum 71 would increase state costs by paying for additional worker compensation and crime victim claims benefits; additional state employee pension survivor benefits; and other administrative expenses. Costs are estimated at $900,000 for fiscal years 2009–11, $1.5 million for fiscal years 2011–13 and $1.6 million for fiscal years 2013–15. State revenue from estate taxes estimated at $260,000 would be reduced in fiscal years 2013–15, while $7,000 in annual fee revenue would be gained.[2] | ” |
Support
Washington Families Standing Together, WhoSigned.Org and Equal Rights Washington led the campaign in favor of the measure. Business firms and organizations that supported the measure included: Boeing, Microsoft, Nike, Puget Sound Energy and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Washington State Bar Association and the Washington Association of Churches endorsed the campaign.[3] On September 28, 2009, the Seattle City Council approved a resolution urging residents to approve the measure.[4]
Opposition
Protect Marriage Washington was the official campaign organization opposing the referendum. Other opponents included the Washington Values Alliance and the Faith and Freedom Network.
Path to the ballot
Lawrence Stickney of Arlington filed 137,881 signatures on May 4, 2009 and sent to the Secretary of State.[5] During the signature verification process, the Washington Secretary of State's office maintained a website that displayed a fresh count each weekday of the status of the process of verifying R-71 signatures.[6] Over 122,007 were accepted as valid.[7] 87.6% of the signatures had to be valid in order for the measure to qualify for the ballot or, conversely, the invalidity rate couldn't go over 12.4%.[8]
See also
External links
- Text of Referendum 71 application
- Washington Referendum 71 Election Results
- Text of SB 5688
- Website of "Protect Marriage Washington," supporters of overturning SB 5688
- Washington Ballot Measures Online Voter Guide 2009
- WhoSigned, group opposing R-71
- Washington Secretary of State blog, which maintains a count on signature validity.
- Referendum 71 Litigation in State Court (dead link)
- Oral ruling by Judge Thomas McPhee, 9-8-09
Footnotes
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedvoterguide - ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Approval of Referendum 71 attracts broad community support," September 24, 2009
- ↑ On Top Magazine, "Seattle Urges Approval Of Gay Partner Law," September 29, 2009
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "History of Referendum Measures," accessed September 6, 2013
- ↑ R-71 signature statistics (dead link)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSigCert - ↑ Seattle Times, "Both sides complain of Ref. 71 signature check, prepare to appeal," August 27, 2009
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