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Reed, McKenna optimistic about R-71 case

Reed, McKenna optimistic about R-71 case

Attorney General Rob McKenna and Secretary of State Sam Reed emerged from the U.S. Supreme Court today optimistic that the high court will allow Washington and other states to treat initiative and referendum petitions as releasable public records. McKenna, making his third appearance before the court, and Reed, the state’s chief elections officer, both said they counted a majority of the justices who seemed sympathetic to Washington’s argument that the vote-approved Public Records Act requires release of petitions to those…

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R-71 petitions: Attorneys press case to high court

R-71 petitions: Attorneys press case to high court

In the run-up to the U.S.  Supreme Court’s April 28 hearing on public release of initiative and referendum petitions, the state is underscoring that the voter-approved Public Records Act requires release.  The public’s demand for transparency and accountability of the government is “compelling and substantial,” attorneys for the Secretary of State said in a brief submitted to the high court on Thursday. The thick 60-page brief is a reply to the efforts of Protect Marriage Washington (foes of the state’s…

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Oregon gay-marriage advocates eye ballot

Oregon gay-marriage advocates eye ballot

As Washingtonians wrap up their balloting on expansion of domestic partnerships, south of the border in Oregon, advocates of same-sex marriage are launching a multi-year effort to overturn a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. The Oregonian newspaper’s coverage is here  and political blogger Jeff Mapes’ post is here . Washington is one of many states with a Defense of Marriage Act that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.  Referendum 71 on Tuesday’s statewide ballot is…

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R-71 update: signature requests pending

R-71 update: signature requests pending

As Archives workers wrap up their microfilming of over 9,000 Referendum 71 petitions, public records requests are pending –and it could well lead to online posting of everyone who signed the petitions. Archives will wrap-up their “imaging” of the petitions Wednesday and the Elections Division crew will count the raw number of signatures submitted by Protect Marriage Washington, and then begin checking the signatures against voter registration records. The R-71 group hopes to force a statewide vote in November on…

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Re: R-71 backers bring in signature petitions

Re: R-71 backers bring in signature petitions

Election officials have begun processing Referendum 71 petitions submitted by foes of a new “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law.  It seems likely that a full signature check will be required, rather than a speedier random-sample check. The sponsors, Protect Marriage Washington, hope to force a public vote in November on Senate Bill 5688, which extends all of the rights and responsibilities now afforded to marriage couples to same-sex partners and opposite-sex couples where one or more partners is 62…

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5 Questions with the Assistant Director of Elections

5 Questions with the Assistant Director of Elections

Shane Hamlin, assistant director for the agency’s Elections Division, fills you in on what’s next for Referendum 71 – and what needs to happen for it to get on the Nov. ballot. Q.) Today sponsors of R-71 turned in enough petition sheets for Elections to begin the process of counting signatures. What happens now? The petition sheets will be secured in a vault at the State Archives, and at the start of the weekday, Archives staff will begin microfilming the…

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R-71 backers bring in signature petitions

R-71 backers bring in signature petitions

Sponsors of Referendum 71, hoping to force a public vote this fall on the state’s new “everything but marriage” domestic partnership bill, have brought in what they estimate are least 138,000 voter signatures. The bare minimum to qualify for the Nov. 3 statewide ballot is 120,577, but traditionally an average of about 18 percent turn out to be invalid. The state Elections Division has recommended that referendum sponsors bring in a 25 percent pad, for a total of about 150,000 or more. The…

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R-71 sponsors plan Saturday signature turn-in

R-71 sponsors plan Saturday signature turn-in

Sponsors of Referendum 71, seeking a public vote this fall on the state’s new “everything but marriage” domestic partnership bill, plan to submit their petitions to the State Elections Division on Saturday afternoon. The organizers, Protect Marriage Washington, have made arrangements to bring in boxloads of voter signatures at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Secretary of State’s Office in the Capitol.  It takes 120,573 valid signatures to earn a place on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot.  Election officials suggest a…

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R-71 monitoring plan draws Eyman fire

R-71 monitoring plan draws Eyman fire

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman is taking aim at potential harassment of signature-gatherers  and people who sign their petitions.  One feature of his new initiative says the names, signatures and addresses of people who sign initiatives and referenda would be blacked out before petition sheets are made public by the state Elections Division. This grows out of announced plans by some supporters of a new “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law to put online the names and addresses of all who sign…

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Who signs R-71? Foes may post it online

Who signs R-71? Foes may post it online

Some foes of a referendum aimed at halting a new “everything but marriage” law in Washington state plan to eventually publish online the names and addresses of everyone who signs the Referendum 71 petitions. The state Elections Division is encouraging “civil debate” on the measure and expressing concern if the signature-gathering process is suppressed or voters feel threatened in any way. Washington Values Alliance, which opposes gay marriage and is sponsoring R-71, will begin circulating petitions this week. They’ll be racing…

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