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Tag: domestic partnership

R-71 public records update: Release ban continues

R-71 public records update: Release ban continues

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle has ruled that Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed   will continue to be blocked from releasing Referendum 71 signatures while challengers mount a federal court case that aims to keep the 138,000 names under wraps permanently. The judge, in a brief hearing in his courtroom in Tacoma on Wednesday, agreed to the Reed’s request for an expedited hearing schedule. The challengers, Protect Marriage Washington, will release a list of its witnesses so the Attorney General…

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R-71 petition challenge heading back to court

R-71 petition challenge heading back to court

Protect Marriage Washington, gay-marriage opponents who forced a public vote on the state’s new domestic partnership law last November, are heading back to court to try to ban public release of the 138,000 names of people who signed Referendum 71 petitions. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a case called Doe v. Reed, ruled 8-1 on June 24 that, as a general matter, release of petitions does not violate voters’ constitutional rights. But the court also left open the possibility of…

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R-71 petition case drawing national attention

R-71 petition case drawing national attention

A Washington state public-records case involving initiative and referendum petitions is one of two big cases headed to the U.S. Supreme Court from the West in April.  Both are drawing national attention because they involve tricky First Amendment issues, political participation, and the right of government to lay down rules for non-discrimination and for open and transparent government. Both cases arise from our 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. One deals with whether a law school may deny recognition to a…

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R-71: Stay tuned for federal court decision on petitions

R-71: Stay tuned for federal court decision on petitions

Should Washington officials be allowed to release Referendum 71 petition sheets? That touchy issue is in the hands of a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, Calif., following a hearing this morning. Deputy Solicitor General Bill Collins, who represented the state, reported a very well-prepared panel and a “very lively” discussion of the issues. He said the court has taken the case under advisement without indicating when – or how – they will rule. Since the appeals…

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R-71: Down to the wire?

R-71: Down to the wire?

Fresh polling continues to show a tight finish in the ballot battle over whether to approve or reject Washington’s new expansion of domestic partner benefits and protections. SurveyUSA, polling 548 likely voters for KING 5, showed the battle to be within the margin of error, with little more than a week until voters can start marking mail-in ballots. As reported by Seattlepi.com, the survey showed 45 percent in favor, 42 percent opposed, and the rest undecided.  Women, Democrats, Seattle metro…

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Reed certifies R-71 to fall ballot

Reed certifies R-71 to fall ballot

Secretary of State Sam Reed has certified Referendum 71 to the Nov. 3 statewide ballot in Washington state.  Barring a successful 11th-hour court challenge, voters will decide the fate of a newly adopted state law that gives state-registered domestic partners the full array of rights and responsibilities that married couples have. In brief ceremonies at the state Elections Division headquarters near the state Capitol, Reed signed paperwork certifying that sponsors had submitted the requisite number of valid Washington voter signatures…

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5 Questions about the R-71 check: Still scratching your head?

5 Questions about the R-71 check: Still scratching your head?

Are you dreaming about signature checks yet? No?! Then get ready for our team to talk you through your R-71 signature check question in our daily “5 Questions” post. You’re scratching your head about the jumble of numbers and knowing what you’re voting for … but not for long … Q) When is the check going to end? It seems like it has been going on for a long time … A) The end is right around the corner! Our…

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R-71 signature check nears halfway point

R-71 signature check nears halfway point

The signature check for Washington’s Referendum 71 is near the halfway mark, with over 65,000 petition signatures now tallied . According to a fresh post at the end of the day shift Monday, election crews and master checkers have completed their work on about 289 of the 623 petition batches – bound volumes of 15 petitions, each bearing between 1 and 20 signatures. The total now checked, 65,531, is more than 7,000 above the Friday evening report, and approaches halfway…

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R-71 update: Elections Division prepares new-look reporting

R-71 update: Elections Division prepares new-look reporting

State election officials are revising and upgrading the reporting process for Referendum 71, hoping to provide a clearer picture of how the signature-checking process is unfolding. The first report with the new approach will debut Tuesday afternoon. The plan is for a daily late-afternoon update that shows signature-checking results for each batch of petitions that have been completely checked, and then re-checked by a supervisor.  Each batch has 15 petition sheets, with varying numbers of signatures.  

R-71 update: ‘Error rate’ changes as process continues

R-71 update: ‘Error rate’ changes as process continues

Confused? So were we when the Referendum 71 webpage  posted a signature-rejection rate that was different — lower — than we had been seeing before, and in the daily postings.  So here’s the scoop:  Elections Division has decided that a more accurate cumulative error or rejection rate (currently 11.63 percent) should reflect the sizable number of signatures that have been going from the rejected pile to the accepted stack after a master checker reviews the checker’s decision to reject. That…

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