Washington State: Judge Rejects Challenge To Referendum 71

A last-ditch effort to keep the repeal of domestic partners rights off the ballot in Washington state has failed.

A judge has cleared the way for a public vote on expanded domestic partnership benefits in Washington state. Thurston County Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee issued his ruling on Referendum 71 Tuesday afternoon. Gay-rights supporters filed the lawsuit, claiming that state election officials improperly accepted thousands of petition signatures. The referendum's sponsors want voters to reject the "everything but marriage" law passed by the Legislature. The law would give registered domestic partners more rights, putting them on par with married couples under state law.

The Christianists behind the petition drive lied outrageously to Washington voters throughout the process, telling many of them that they were actually signing a petition in favor of same-sex marriage. And many others signed the petitions even though they were not registered to vote in the first place. But all is fair in the name of Jeebus.

Washington residents must remember to in order to KEEP domestic partners legislation, you must vote to APPROVE Referendum 71. You are voting to AFFIRM the recently passed law. Maybe we can hope that some dumbells will remember Yes On 8 and vote "yes" on R-71.