Wash. voters to decide on gay marriage | Seattle Times Newspaper

With Washington state's new law permitting gay marriage officially headed to the ballot, voters in the state will once again weigh in on the debate over same-sex couples and marriage rights.

Voters here have already upheld a domestic partnership law granting gay and lesbian couples all the state-granted rights of marriage, the so-called "everything but marriage" law. This time, though, there's no "everything but" to decide - voters will ultimately determine if Washington state should join the handful of others in the country that permit gay marriage.

Referendum 74 was certified for the ballot this week after sponsors turned in more than 240,000 signatures last week, far more than the minimum of 120,577 valid voter signatures required.

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Online:

Referendum 74 language: http://bit.ly/Aog5aO

Preserve Marriage Washington: http://preservemarriagewashington.com

Washington United for Marriage: http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org

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By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press

By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press