State election workers have now checked over 35,000 Referendum 71 signatures, including 5,926 during the Friday day-shift. The daily rejection rate was 12.91 percent, which was higher than the newly revised cumulative error rate.

R-71 backers, hoping to force a public vote this fall on the state’s new “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law, need 120,577 valid signatures to earn a ballot spot.   They submitted 137,689, and Friday was the sixth day of checking by election crews.  The day shift ended with 5,926 new signatures processed, with 5,161 accepted and the rest either rejected or pending determination. The rejected signatures included 604 people who weren’t found on the state voter database, 33 duplicates, and 116 whose signature on the petition didn’t match the one on file.

Overall, the totals showed 35,296 checked so far, with 31,199 accepted, 4,063 currently rejected and 34 pending a response from their home counties with an electronic signature for the voter. 

After adjusting for a variety of changes made this week by senior checkers who review the work of the crew, the state Elections Division adjusted downward the percentage of signatures currently rejected, not including those pending the electronic signature from the counties. The new rate, as of the conclusion of the Friday day shift, was 11.51 percent. A crew was also working a swing shift later Friday. Election officials hope  to complete the full check by August 17 or thereabouts.   

For more information, check in at the division’s webpage .