Posted on Sep 25, 2009 | by Staff

OLYMPIA, Wash. (BP)--Supporters of a Washington state same-sex domestic partnerships law are leading in a new poll, although not by a significant margin.

Referendum 71, which if passed would keep the state's same-sex domestic partnership law on the books, leads by a margin of 51-44 percent among likely voters, according to a poll commissioned by a group trying to pass the initiative. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner conducted the poll.

The new law grants same-sex couples all the legal benefits of marriage, minus the name.

The debate over Referendum 71 has been somewhat confusing, mostly because of the way the law governing referendums is written. The confusion begins with the fact that the conservative coalition that gathered signatures to place Referendum 71 on the ballot is now working to defeat it on Election Day. In Washington, referendums place the law itself on the ballot and ask voters whether they want to approve or reject the new law.
--30--
Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Michael Foust. For information on how you can help defeat Washington Referendum 71, visit www.ProtectMarriageWa.com.