what were the alarming washington state referendum 71 results?”
November 4, 2009 Early Vote Favors Domestic Partner Law By WILLIAM YARDLEY SEATTLE — Early returns showed voters in Washington narrowly approving a ballot measure that would expand legal protections for domestic partners. With fewer than half of the ballots estimated to have been counted in a largely mail-in election, 52 percent of voters had approved the measure, Referendum 71. Voters in King County, the state’s most populous, were approving the measure by a much wider margin. All but one of Washington’s 39 counties vote by mail, and ballots can be postmarked as late as Election Day. The vote count is scheduled to be updated late Wednesday afternoon, and final results may not be available until the end of the week. Nicknamed “Everything But Marriage,” Referendum 71 asked voters to approve or reject a bill passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature this spring and signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat. Under state law, a bill passed by the Legislature can be put to a state
Earlier Tuesday evening, a friend of mine said, “we expect victory tonight!” He also is cautious of the potential backlash that will ensue. However, this did not mar his and other’s night of deserved victory. In an odd election year with sweeping changes, Election Night 2009 is a drama filled with hope, desperation and victory. By the end of the night it looks as if Referendum 71 will pass. It looks like McGinn will be mayor, Dow Constantine is victorious and I-033 is losing. Results are still early as of this post and it is late for this blogger who attended the parties for R-71 and McGinn. I spoke briefly with Rep. Jamie Pedersen. He says (at the time I spoke with him) he remains cautiously optimistic. He said, “(the) big picture is affirmation that our family is welcome in the state of Washington.” His optimism was catchy and continued to enthrall the crowd shorty after when he and fellow politician took the stage to speak. They affirmed our hard work and nevertheless reminded us of
