Thursday, September 24, 2009

Referendum 71: Court Case Over Anti-gay Washington Donors Fast-Tracked, Vote to be Close

A lawsuit regarding disclosing names of donors to the anti-gay Referendum 71 measure in Washington state is to be fast-tracked, Slog reports:

"A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments on October 14 in Pasadena, California. Each side will have 15 minutes to present their case. By signing R-71 petitions, voters indicated that a law to extend the state-granted rights of marriage to same-sex partners should be put on the ballot, ultimately in an attempt to repeal them. But in a bizarre twist of hypocrisy, anti-gay Protect Marriage Washington now claims that the signers are a minority—because they were trying to limit rights of a minority, you see—at risk of harm if their identities are released."

Slog also reports on some new numbers which show the vote to approve R-71 (which would retain the rights given to gays and lesbians in domestic partnership laws) is only ahead by a very narrow margin. Said Josh Friedes, a spokesman for Washington Families Standing Together, which sponsored the poll: "It’s going to be a razor thin election. We need to focus on turning out our base. What we know is that in off-year election, as much as half the electorate doesn't vote, and the frequent voters in off-year elections are older and more conservative."

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