Brad Shannon:
The Politics Blog

Brad Shannon maintains this blog. He is political editor at The Olympian and can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@theolympian.com.

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Sen. Murray declares a win for same-sex partners

• Published November 04, 2009

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Referendum 71 is passing tonight by nearly 38,000 votes, double the margin of victory on election night Tuesday.

Democratic Sen. Ed Murray of Seattle sponsored the "everything but marriage" rights bill that religious conservatives forced onto the ballot in the form of R-71. Here is his statement on what his office called "the passage of Referendum 71":

"Today is a great day of celebration for the tens of thousands of gay and lesbian families in Washington, and for anyone who supports equality in our state and around the country.

"While it felt like a crushing blow this fall when R-71 received enough signatures to make the ballot, at the time I expressed my faith that Washington voters would uphold the progress the Legislature made for gay and lesbian couples when it passed the 'everything but marriage' bill earlier this year. And yesterday, the voters of Washington came through.

"In this state, voters will not allow a small group of right wing activist(s) to determine who should be treated equally. In this state, the majority believes that gay and lesbian families who work hard and play by the rules deserve to be treat fairly.

"Yesterday's vote was not about marriage and was never about marriage. That is a separate discussion that we intend to have with Washington voters – a discussion similar to the one we've had over the past three years as we've made step-by-step progress through domestic partnerships. Yesterday's vote does not determine how that discussion will go, and shouldn't be read that way.

"We intend to move forward and have a mature dialogue with the public about what marriage means.

"We haven't yet walked through the gate to the promised land of full marriage equality. But, with yesterday's vote, that gate seems more open then it was yesterday, and our goal seems closer to reality than ever.

"Congratulations to Washington's gay and lesbian community and all those who have supported our cause along the way."

Republican Sen. Dan Swecker of Rochester fought Senate Bill 5688 in the Legislature and was disappointed by the direction of the R-71 vote.

"Whether it passes by 1 percent or loses by 1 percent, it's a little discouraging to see that our society has gotten to the point where basically it's a 50-50 split — rather than just an overwhelming reinforcement of marriage,"’ Swecker said.

He said a reversal of the vote count is unlikely but he was not willing to give up hope, and the Office of the Secretary of State says nearly 395,000 ballots still are in hand for counting statewide.

"People made a big fuss over whether it's marriage or not. The truth is, I don't think it matter(s) what we call it. It is marriage in everything but the name," Swecker said of R-71. He said his opposition is not on moral grounds but on a basis of what he thinks it will do to traditional marriage.

"It's purely a matter of sustaining marriage as we know it and preserving the traditional function. In countries where this has happened it has led to a de-emphasis on marriage and were people get married. Marriage then ceases to provide all the vital functions for society that it traditionally has," he said.

State elections officials say there are an estimated 395,000 ballots in hand statewide that still need to be counted. If R-71 passes, it would not take effect until the election is certified later in the month.