Voters expand same-sex rights

Washington state voters have approved Referendum 71, ending months of contentious battles over a state law that expands benefits for registered same-sex and some senior domestic partners.

That means the law could be enacted in about a month, once the election is certified. Along with other marriagelike state benefits, it will allow registered couples to use sick leave to care for one another or to claim one another's death benefits.

The tally late Thursday afternoon saw the vote to approve Referendum 71 leading about 52 percent to 48 percent.

That lead now appears insurmountable. The Secretary of State's Office estimates another 500,000 to 600,000 ballots statewide are still outstanding, with about half expected from King County, where the measure is being approved by slightly more than 2 to 1.

"Voters across the state listened to the personal stories of lesbian and gay families and the challenges they faced and sent a strong message that we want to see all families treated equally under the law in our state," said Anne Levinson, chairwoman of Washington Families Standing Together, which worked for the measure's approval.

But opponents of Referendum 71 were not conceding Thursday afternoon.

Larry Stickney, campaign manager for Protect Marriage Washington, the conservative Christian organization that worked for rejection of the referendum, said: "There are a lot of votes out there still. We continue to have some hope that the votes cast later will move in our direction."

Earlier this week, Stickney said he was requesting prayers statewide, and the Web site for Protect Marriage Washington said: "As you may know, we have seen amazing things happen at every critical juncture of this campaign. ... Let's pray the Reject R-71 effort across the finish line!"

Stickney also said his political advisers have said that, historically, later votes in mail-in elections tend to favor more conservative issues and candidates.

But Matt Barreto, a University of Washington associate professor of political science, said the only way Referendum 71 could still go down is if King County "shows a radical reversal, not just a softening." In fact, the county's vote count is trending toward a higher approval rate by the day, he said, with 65 percent approving the referendum Tuesday, 69 percent Wednesday, and 70 percent Thursday.

"There's virtually no chance that it will reverse those trends," Barreto said.

The battle over Referendum 71 has been dramatic, involving a down-to-the-wire gathering of petition signatures to get the measure on the November ballot, allegations of harassment and illegally gained signatures, and numerous lawsuits, including one that may be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gary Randall, another leader in the Reject 71 campaign, said he was "disappointed but not devastated" by the vote tally. "We're going to continue what we're doing. I don't see this as the last discussion on gay marriage."

Pete-e Petersen, though, who in televised ads promoting Referendum 71 was featured alongside her partner, Jane Abbott Lighty, was thrilled Thursday.

Together for 32 years, the two raised a daughter and are registered domestic partners. "Deep down inside we were always hopeful that people would think about the fairness of this and that we would be able to show them that we are just like everybody else," Petersen said.

Seattle Times staff reporter

Lornet Turnbull contributed

to this report.

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com.