Judge Rejects WA Ref. 71 Challenge
September 9, 2009
A judge in Washington State ruled yesterday against the proponents of domestic partnerships saying that the methods used for checking signatures were valid. Washington Families Standing Together (WFST) had argued that two types of signatures accepted by the Secretary of State should be tossed out -- those that were on a petition not signed by the signature gatherer and signatures of voters who had not been registered at the time they signed. The judge said under Washington Law the Secretary was right to include those signatures. According to the Seattle Times, it's not clear whether WFST will appeal the ruling. The timing is difficult given that tomorrow is the deadline for the Secretary of State to notify the printer of the state's 3 million voter guides whether or not Ref. 71 will be on the ballot. If the measure is put to voters they will be asked whether they wish to approve or reject the new domestic partnership law -- in other words one votes YES to Approve Ref. 71 and preserve equal protection for all Washington families.
