Ballot measures top ticket in Wash. election

Two statewide ballot measures top the ticket Tuesday for Washington state voters.

The focus of this year's off-year election is a referendum on expanded domestic partnership rights for gay and senior couples.

Referendum 71 asks voters to approve or reject the final expansion to the state's domestic partnership law, which grants registered domestic partners additional state-granted rights currently given only to married couples. Under state law, heterosexual seniors also can register as domestic partners.

The expanded law adds benefits including the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner, and rights related to adoption, child custody and child support.

More than $2.1 million has been spent in the campaign, the bulk of it by supporters of the domestic partnership law. The biggest single donation to the campaign in support of the law came from Microsoft Corp., which gave $100,000. Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates each gave $25,000.

Voters also will decide an initiative to cap government revenue growth, the latest effort by initiative promoter Tim Eyman.

Initiative 1033 would cap the annual growth of state, county and city general funds at the rate of inflation plus population growth. Revenue above the cap would be used to reduce property taxes. Voters could separately approve additional revenue sources that go over the growth cap.

Governments could collect revenue above the limit only by getting voter approval for new taxes. An official estimate prepared by the state Office of Financial Management says I-1033 could drain nearly $6 billion from the state general fund over six years. Cities would lose about $2 billion during that stretch, and counties would lose close to $700 million. Eyman says the initiative is needed to force governments to keep their spending at reasonable, sustainable levels.

A vast majority of the more than $3.8 million spent in the campaign has been by opponents, who have used TV ads to highlight government services they say will get cut too harshly if the measure passes.

About 98 percent of the vote is being cast by mail. Pierce County is the only county that still has some polling places.

Mail ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, or dropped off at a designated site.

Secretary of State Sam Reed expects 51 percent of Washington's 3.5 million voters to take part in Tuesday's election.

In an off-year election, statewide ballot measures like R-71 and 1033 will drive more voters to send in their ballots, but it won't be a substantial increase over any other normal odd year election, said Western Washington University political scientist Todd Donovan.

"It's the peripheral votes, the folks who would not normally vote in an off-year who might be mobilized in the initiatives," he said.

Three House races to fill unexpired terms are also on the ballot. The top contest is in the 16th Legislative District, which pits freshman Rep. Laura Grant, D-Walla Walla, against GOP challenger Terry Nealey, a former Columbia County prosecutor. Voters in the 9th District are choosing between Susan Fagan, public affairs director for a Pullman manufacturer and former aide to three U.S. senators from Idaho, and Pat Hailey, a farmer-rancher and school board member who is the widow of former legislator Steve Hailey. In the 15th District, Republican Rep. David Taylor's opponent is John Gotts, a Democrat who abandoned the race and endorsed Taylor after advancing through the primary.

Political newcomers Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn are seeking to replace two-term incumbent Mayor Greg Nickels, who they outpolled in the August primary to advance to November's election. In the race for King County executive, King County Councilman Dow Constantine is facing off with former KIRO-TV anchor Susan Hutchison.

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Elections info: http://www.secstate.wa.gov