OLYMPIA, Wash. - A referendum that could overturn Washington state's "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law has qualified for the November ballot.
The secretary of state's office said sponsors of Referendum 71 had 121,486 valid petition signatures - enough to put the newly expanded domestic partnership law to a public vote.
A secondary check of rejected signatures was not complete, so the number could increase. The new law was supposed to take effect on July 26, but was delayed until the signature count was complete. Now, it won't take effect unless it is approved in the Nov. 3 election.
The measure would expand existing domestic partnerships to give gay and lesbian couples all the state-provided benefits that married heterosexual couples have.