Two statewide ballot measures top the ticket today for Washington state voters.
The focus of this year’s off-year election is a referendum on expanded domestic partnership rights for gay and senior couples.
Referendum 71 asks voters to approve or reject the final expansion to the state’s domestic partnership law, which grants registered domestic partners additional state-granted rights currently given only to married couples. Under state law, heterosexual seniors also can register as domestic partners.
The expanded law adds benefits including the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner, and rights related to adoption, child custody and child support.
Voters also will decide an initiative to cap government revenue growth, the latest effort by initiative promoter Tim Eyman.
Initiative 1033 would cap the annual growth of state, county and city general funds at the rate of inflation plus population growth. Revenue above the cap would be used to reduce property taxes. Voters could separately approve additional revenue sources that go over the growth cap.
Governments could collect revenue above the limit only by getting voter approval for new taxes.
An official estimate prepared by the state Office of Financial Management says I-1033 could drain nearly $6 billion from the state general fund over six years. Cities would lose about $2 billion during that stretch, and counties would lose close to $700 million. Eyman says the initiative is needed to force governments to keep their spending at reasonable, sustainable levels.
About 98 percent of the vote is being cast by mail. Pierce County is the only county that still has some polling places.
Mail ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, or dropped off at a designated site.
Secretary of State Sam Reed expects 51 percent of Washington’s 3.5 million voters to take part in today’s election. (AP)
