Browsed by
Category: gay-marriage referendum

WA gay-marriage foes virtually assured of making fall ballot

WA gay-marriage foes virtually assured of making fall ballot

UPDATE with additional signatures submitted: Preserve Marriage Washington, opponents of Washington’s new law authorizing civil marriage for same-sex couples, have submitted an estimated 242,000 petition signatures, virtually assuring a public vote this fall on whether to uphold or overturn the marriage measure, Senate Bill 6239. The action blocked the law from taking effect on Thursday. Sponsors submitted about 232,000 signatures Wednesday morning, the final day to submit petitions for a referendum. They brought in roughly 10,000 more later in the…

Read More Read More

Here’s how signature check for R-74 works …

Here’s how signature check for R-74 works …

How does the signature check for a referendum work, and what is the impact of a referendum challenge on the effective date of the recently enacted legislation (SB6239) authorizing civil marriage for same-sex couples? The deadline for turning in Referendum 74 petitions to the State Elections Division is Wednesday, June 6.  Ordinarily, the marriage bill would be taking effect Thursday, June 7, but if opponents bring in signatures, the law doesn’t go into effect on schedule.  If a signature check…

Read More Read More

Centennial celebration: WA initiative process turns 100 in 2012

Centennial celebration: WA initiative process turns 100 in 2012

Secretary Reed draws a smile out of Tim Eyman Secretary of State Sam Reed and the Foley Institute at Washington State University teamed up Friday for a centennial celebration of Washington’s initiative process being approved by the voters. Panelists described the historic sweep of a hundred years of  “direct democracy” being used to pass some of the state’s landmark pieces of legislation — and talked about the growing expense of qualifying for the ballot, the rising role of well-heeled interests,…

Read More Read More

New number (R-74), same challenge (of gay-marriage law)

New number (R-74), same challenge (of gay-marriage law)

Referendum 74 is the new number for Washington’s gay marriage challenge filed by opponents of the new marriage law signed by the governor on Monday.  It turns out that R-73 was assigned last spring to a campaign challenging last year’s medical marijuana law; nothing came of that effort. The marriage referendum has been transmitted to the state Attorney General’s Office for preparation of a ballot title, 30-word concise description, a 75-word-limit ballot summary, and a question that clearly defines the…

Read More Read More

Gregoire OKs gay marriage; ballot challenge launched

Gregoire OKs gay marriage; ballot challenge launched

Joseph Backholm pays the $5 filing fee as he files R-73 Monday afternoon. Feb. 14 UPDATE: The referendum number has been changed to R-74. Challengers of Washington’s newly signed gay-marriage bill have filed a referendum challenge.  Less than four hours after Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the bill authorizing civil marriage for same-sex couples, SB6239, Joseph Backholm of Preserve Marriage Washington filed Referendum 74 seeking to overturn the law. Backholm, who has the backing of a number of in-state…

Read More Read More

FAQ on pending gay-marriage referendum

FAQ on pending gay-marriage referendum

UPDATE:  Washington’s gay-marriage legislation, Senate Bill 6239, easily cleared the House 55 to 43 Wednesday after 2 1/2 hours of emotional debate. It now heads to  Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature, probably in a big ceremony next week. And challengers already are making plans for a ballot challenge. How would that work? What’s the timeline?  What does the filing of a referendum mean to people who were thinking about a summertime wedding? Here is a look at how a…

Read More Read More