referendum 71

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WA: One Man Contacting Referendum 71 Signers to Open Dialogue About Marriage Equality

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Opponents of equality are currently collecting signatures in an attempt to challenge Washington state’s new marriage equality law at the ballot through Referendum 74. But Washington conservatives have pushed back on same-sex couples’ recognition before, through 2009s failed Referendum 71, a challenge to the state’s “everything but marriage” domestic partnerships. Despite attempts to keep the signatories of that campaign hidden, they are now publicly available at whosigned.org, and one activist is attempting to reach out to all of them.

So far, Paul Thomasson has emailed almost 2,000 of the R71 signers, identifying himself as a gay veteran and encouraging them not to sign R74. So far, he has received 60 email responses, all of which he has published on his webpage. Many, if not most, of those who reply take time to explain why they oppose same-sex marriage and reaffirm their Christian beliefs, like this prototypical example:

“The reason I did, and will again, is simple. The family is the foundation of our country. Relationships have been created and defined by God. When you start to redefine and do things outside of that, it is destructive. I am not a hater of homosexuals. I have good friends that struggle with it. I will not endorse the practice though. It is a counterfeit love that comes from pain/woundings. It is no different than the sins I struggle with. I don’t seperate you from me. We both fall short. And we both have a Savior who paid the price for our sins. I love you and hope GOD’s will for your life. Thanks for the email.”

Full Story from Think Progress

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington State.

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Tags: marriage equality, referendum 71, repeal, washington state

WA: Referendum 71 Donor Information Now Available Online

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Dominic Holden reports at Slog:

After years in federal courts and months of transcription, WhoSigned.Org went live this afternoon with a searchable database that includes the names and addresses of people who signed Referendum 71 in 2009. The referendum petition, circulated by anti-gay activists with the group Protect Marriage Washington, was an attempt to overturn Washington State’s domestic partnership law that granted same-sex couples the same state rights as marriage.

Full Story from Joe.My.God

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington State.

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Tags: domestic partnerships, marriage equality, online, referendum 71, signatures, washington state

WA: Referendum 71 Vote Explains Some Legislators’ Votes on Marriage Equality

Friday, February 10th, 2012

To understand the no vote cast on same-sex marriage by state Rep. Steve Kirby, a Tacoma lawmaker who usually sides with his fellow Democrats, look at how the people in his district voted in 2009 on the successful referendum giving gay couples “everything but marriage.”

In its new shape after post-census redistricting, Kirby’s diverse South Tacoma and east Lakewood district still leans heavily to the Democrats. But within its boundaries, voters opposed the expansion of domestic partnerships by a ratio of 55-45.

Hence Kirby’s vote Wednesday against gay marriage, when the bill passed the House. It passed the Senate last week.

Full Story from the Seattle Times

Click here for gay wedding resource in Washington State.

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Tags: marriage equality vote, referendum 71, washington state

WA: Fight Continues Over Release of Petition Signers’ Names

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

He’s known in federal-court documents as John Doe #2, a former youth pastor and unabashed opponent of gay marriage who two years ago signed a petition to put benefits for same-sex couples up to a statewide vote.

Doe is unnamed because Protect Marriage Washington, the conservative organization that ran the Referendum 71 campaign to roll back those benefits, worries about harassment and reprisals against him and 137,500 others who signed the petition.

He is the second of two John Doe plaintiffs in a lawsuit the group filed in 2009 against Washington’s secretary of state. The action succeeded in blocking release of all their names.

Full Story from the Seattle Times

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Tags: petitions, referendum 71, signatures, washington

WA: Hearing Today on Release of Referendum 71 Petition Signatures

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Opponents of the state’s expanded domestic partnerships for gay couples are heading back to federal court, hoping to block the release of signed referendum petitions.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle is holding a hearing Wednesday, where he may decide whether to continue blocking the names and addresses of people who signed Referendum 71 petitions. The referendum was approved last fall by voters.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that generally, the release of petition signatures does not violate constitutional rights. However, the court said Protect Marriage Washington could go back to the lower courts and try to prove that the release of their names would put them in danger.

Full Story from the Seattle Times

Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington State.

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Tags: hearing, petitions, r71, referendum 71, release, signatures, signers, wa, washington

WA: Anti Gay Marriage Groups Go to Court Over R71 Signatures… Again

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Opponents of the state’s expanded domestic partnership law are going back to court to try to block the release of names of people who wanted the law overturned. On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that generally, the release of petition signatures does not violate voters’ constitutional rights.

The court ruled now says disclosing names on a petition for a public referendum does not chill the signer’s freedom of speech enough to warrant overturning the state’s disclosure law.

“Voters of Washington want their government operating in open, transparent and accountable ways, and treating petitions as a public record is in keeping with that desire,” said Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed. “The Supreme Court has made it clear that there can be no blanket ban on releasing petitions and that it will be a tall order for challengers to make the case for keeping this information secret.”

Full Story from KOMO News

Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington State.

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Tags: Gay Marriage, marriage equality, petitions, r71, referendum 71, same sex marriage, signatures, washington state

Analysis of the Supreme Court Decision on Petition Signer Disclosure

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

In a ruling hailed by gay activists, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 upheld a law that requires public disclosure of the names of people who signed a petition to put an anti-gay referendum on the ballot in Washington State. But litigation over the domestic partnership battle may not yet be finished and may be back before the court in a year or so.

The 8 to 1 decision, with only Justice Clarence Thomas in dissent, said a state law requiring the names and addresses of petition signers be available to the public does not violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision – a bit of a surprise given that his questions during oral argument seemed to indicate he would be inclined to rule in favor of the plaintiffs. However, in the opinion, Roberts suggested plaintiffs could do better by limiting their challenge to the state law’s impact in the Referendum 71.

Full Story from Keen News Service

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Tags: decision, disclosure, petitions, referendum 71, signatures, supreme court, washington state

Supreme Court Referendum 71 Case to Have Nationwide Impact

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

The U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in a case that will decide whether voter petitions are a public or private document.

The case stems from a battle in Washington over petitions for Referendum 71, a measure that sought to nullify a gay domestic partnerships law in the state. A group, Protect Marriage Washington, is asking the justices to shield the names of the 138,000 people who signed Referendum 71 petitions in hopes of overturning the same-sex domestic partner law.

The case was brought on behalf of voters who signed Referendum 71 petitions last year. At issue is whether people who sign petitions give up their right to privacy. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna told the high court the public’s right to scrutinize petitions for fraud or errors trumps the privacy of petition signers.

Full Story fromThe State Column

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Tags: initiatives, petitions, privacy, referendum 71, ruling, signatures, signers, supreme court

Justices Seem to Lean Toward Openness in Referendum 71 Signature Case

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

The Doe v. Reed transcript is out, and consensus is that the hearing went well for open government proponents. 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 who make a request and pay the duplication cost. They said the court didn’t seem inclined to pull down all disclosure laws.

“My team and I think it went well,” McKenna said in a joint news conference with Reed after the one-hour hearing before a packed court, including Justice John Paul Stevens hearing his last case. Reed concurred, saying McKenna did a persuasive job and that he’s optimistic of a win, which would be nationally significant.

Full Story from Pam’s House Blend

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Tags: appeal, petitions, privacy, referendum 71, signatures, supreme court, supreme court hearing, washington state

WA: Is State’s Referendum 71 Supreme Court Brief Poorly Written?

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

On Wednesday, the proponents of Referendum 71 ( the unsuccessful effort to repeal last year’s everything but marriage domestic partnership law) will face off against the State of Washington in the United States Supreme Court to determine whether the First Amendment protects against the release of the identity of initiative/referendum petition signers under the Washington Public Records Act. Though this dispute has been the subject of prior articles, I reviewed the briefs filed before the Supreme Court to see how the parties’ respective arguments developed.

The Briefs of the Referendum 71 proponents are very strong. They focus well on the notion that signing an initiative is political speech subject to the broadest protection of the first amendment against intimidation, arguing corruption and intimidation are the two biggest threats to a democracy. The biggest weaknesses of their argument are (1) the lack of a record of harassment in connection with referendum 71 and (2) the question whether signing a petition is an anonymous act.

The Proponents anticipated both these issues by arguing the record of harassment during the Proposition 8 campaign in California (the successful effort to constitutional the ban on gay and lesbian marriage) and constructing a multi-step analysis of anonymity suggesting that while signers agreed to disclose their identities to the petition signature gatherers and other signers who see their signatures and to the State to confirm the validity of the signatures, they did not agree to disclose their identities to the public through the public records act.

Full Story from Publicola

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Tags: appeal, brief, petitions, privacy, referendum 71, signatures, supreme court, washington state