Washington state joins Maryland, Minnesota and Maine in putting marriage equality up for a vote. The Secretary of State’s office announced today that the numbers have been officially counted and marriage equality opponents submitted nearly 250,000 signatures.
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire who signed marriage equality into law in February
Only 120,577 signatures were needed to get the referendum—aiming to repeal Washington’s gay marriage law—on the November ballot. Fellow states that seek to put gays and lesbians’ civil rights in front of voters, have a fair amount of support.
Maryland marriage equality foes collected twice the needed 55,000 signatures to put a referendum on that state’s ballot, however a Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey found 57 percent of Maryland voters support the gay marriage law.
PPP also saw a 10-point jump in Minnesota marriage equality support in four months. Independents provided the new support—49 percent of Minnesota voters disapprove of a state constitutional gay marriage ban.
Voters in Maine will decide whether to reverse a 2009 repeal of the state’s gay marriage law. If polling data is correct, marriage equality has gained some solid support.
Given its history, the chances of Washington retaining its gay marriage law look good. After all, it’s among the few states to affirm same-sex marriage by popular vote. Voters passed Referendum 71 in 2009. The legislation sustained the state’s “everything but marriage” version of domestic partnerships.
With that said, a report learned that 54 percent of Washington voters believe gay and lesbian couples should be able to get married. Referendum 74 allows voters to “approve” or “reject” the law.
Photo: governor.wa.gov
