FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Josh Friedes, Washington Families Standing Together, 206-324-2570

Washington Families Standing Together is not a party to the litigation. We understand there are competing points of view on the obligation of the Secretary of State to release names of petition signers.  Some are concerned that such disclosure might somehow restrict the right of voters to participate in the initiative/referenda process, some support full disclosure and transparency of any government public records and urge that government be as broad as possible in disclosure of all records.  Still others are troubled that everyone who registers as a domestic partner is required to have their name listed publicly online with the Secretary of State, even as those signing petitions to repeal domestic partnerships don’t think their names should be listed.

We want to make sure that this litigation doesn’t distract voters from learning about the lives of gay and lesbian and senior families and the important protections that the domestic partnership law provides these families.  The domestic partnership law protects thousands of domestic partners across the state, many with children, serving our communities in such roles as firefighters, police officers, teachers or nursing home workers. Referendum 71 would roll back the law, eliminate those protections, and hurt these families.  Our coalition of more than 120 organizations and 90 clergy, religious leaders and faith-based organizations is reaching out to voters to make sure they know they have to vote APPROVE Referendum 71 in order to keep the law from being repealed.

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