Wash. supporters of gay rights hope lead holds

Washington state's new "everything but marriage" law was narrowly passing Wednesday, with about half of the vote still to be counted.

Referendum 71 asked 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.

With about 50 percent of the expected vote counted, R-71 was leading 51 percent to 49 percent.

More than 380,000 ballots were left to be counted. Several counties, including King, the state's largest, were set to report additional results Wendesday afternoon.

Sen. Ed Murray, a Democrat from Seattle who spearheaded the domestic partnership law, said he was pleased R-71 was leading, but the closeness of the race showed that "we still have a lot of work to do in having a conversation with the citizens of the state about the reality of gay and lesbian families."

The measure was failing in most of the state's 39 counties, except for 10 counties in the traditionally more liberal Puget Sound area, including King County, which includes Seattle and holds about a third of the state's voters.

Opponents of the law pointed to that division as proof that King County, which holds about a third of the state's voters, disproportionately affects election results in the state.

"There's two sets of values in Washington. There's values in Seattle, and there's the rest of us," said Larry Stickney of Protect Marriage Washington, which pushed to get the referendum on the ballot. "The vast majority of Washington counties are uncomfortable with the radical social agenda coming out of Seattle."

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

The law was supposed to take effect July 26, but now will go on the books only if approved by voters. If rejected, previously enacted legislation on domestic partnerships with fewer benefits to gay couples would remain in place.

The underlying domestic partnership law, which the Legislature passed in 2007, provided hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will. Under state law, senior couples can register as domestic partnerships as well.

Last year, lawmakers expanded that law to give domestic partners standing under laws covering probate and trusts, community property and guardianship.

More than 12,000 people in Washington state are registered as domestic partners.

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On the Net:

Washington Families Standing Together: http://approvereferendum71.org

Protect Marriage Washington: http://www.protectmarriagewa.com

Information on domestic partnerships: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/domesticpartnerships