A ballot measure that proposes to overturn a Washington state law that guarantees domestic partner benefits for unmarried couples was certified this week despite suspicions that some collected signatures are fraudulent.
The law was signed Governor Chris Gregoire in May and was originally scheduled to take effect in July. The law in question expands the state’s two-year-old domestic partnership statute by giving domestic partners more of the same rights already granted to married couples.
The law’s implementation has been put on hold pending the results of the referendum (see PDF) effort, which is led by Protect Marriage Washington. Washington Families Standing Together is working against the referendum and has sued the Secretary of State for approving the measure when the validity of signatures is in question, according to the Associated Press.
