Sponsors of Referendum 71 have secured a federal court order that will halt, at least temporarily, plans by the state Elections Division to release the names, addresses and signatures of people who signed the R-71 petitions.   As a state election crew began counting R-71 signatures, the campaign group called Protect Washington Families, went to U.S. District Court in Tacoma and got a temporary restraining order that blocks release of the more than 9,000 petition sheets.

The referendum sponsors hope to win a spot on the November statewide ballot for a public vote on whether to approve or reject a new state law (Senate Bill 5688), sometimes dubbed the “everything but marriage” bill expanding rights for registered same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples where one or more partners is 62 or older.

A citizen group called WhoSigned.org has filed a public records request seeking release of all of the petitions, planning to publish them on the Internet.  State Elections Director Nick Handy said the office continues to view the petitions as a releasable public record, since there is no law exempting them from disclosure.  But Protect Marriage Washington told the court that gay-marriage opponents already have been harassed and intimidated here and in California and that release of the names would subject those voters to the same mistreatment. Their attorneys also said release would “chill” the voters’ First Amendment rights.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle set a full hearing for Sept. 3.