Wash. gay partnership foes say "too close to call"

Washington state's latest expansion of domestic partnerships for gay couples was hanging in limbo Friday as opponents announced a final push to force a public vote, calling their effort so far "too close to call."

In a statement to supporters, organizers of the Referendum 71 campaign said they should have the minimum 120,577 petition signatures needed by Saturday to qualify for the ballot.

But R-71 organizer Gary Randall also said the campaign doesn't have enough extra signatures to act as a cushion for erroneous or duplicate petition signatures, which must come from registered Washington voters.

To help meet the deadline, Randall appealed to R-71 supporters to gather additional signatures and drive them to the state Capitol on Saturday afternoon.

"This is how you can make the difference," Randall said.

The new "everything but marriage" expansion of domestic partnerships is scheduled to take effect Sunday, but the law will be delayed if referendum sponsors turn in their petitions.

If the campaign has enough valid signatures, the law would not take effect unless approved by voters in the November election.

The new domestic partnership law expands on Washington's existing partnerships. The newest version adds registered domestic partners to all remaining areas of state law that presently apply only to married couples. Those statutes range from adoption and child support rights and obligations, to pensions and other public employee benefits.

The underlying domestic partnership law, which passed the Legislature two years ago, provided hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will.

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

The referendum wouldn't overturn the underlying domestic partnership and its first expansion. But it would roll back the additional rights granted this year.

As of this week, more than 5,700 domestic partnership registrations had been filed in Washington since the first law took effect in July 2007.

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The domestic partnership bill is Senate Bill 5688.

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On the Net:

Legislature: http://www.leg.wa.gov

Washington Families Standing Together: http://www.wafst.org

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

Domestic partnership information: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/domesticpartnerships