R-71 update: signature requests pending

July 28, 2009

As Archives workers wrap up their microfilming of over 9,000 Referendum 71 petitions, public records requests are pending –and it could well lead to online posting of everyone who signed the petitions.

Archives will wrap-up their "imaging" of the petitions Wednesday and the Elections Division crew will count the raw number of signatures submitted by Protect Marriage Washington, and then begin checking the signatures against voter registration records. The R-71 group hopes to force a statewide vote in November on the state's new "everything but marriage" law that gives registered domestic partners the full range of rights and responsibilities now provided married couples. The legislation, Senate Bill 5688, is on hold while the referendum is pending. Three individuals have contacted the Secretary of State's public records officer to inquire about getting the names and addresses of people who signed the measure, although no formal request has been made just yet. 3 p.m. Tuesday UPDATE: Brian Murphy of the citizen group WhoSigned.org has filed an official public records request for all of those who signed R-71 petitions, “at the earliest possible moment they are made available.” That will probably be early next week, presuming a court doesn’t block their release. The Archives are microfilming both the entire petition – 2 feet by 3 feet because the entire text of the 100-plus pages of the legislation must be included – and the "pages" that include up to 20 voter signatures and the reverse side that shows the name of the signature-solicitor. The records then are digitized and available in CDs, DVD, rolls of microfilm or portable hard drive. Costs will range from about $25 for the DVD to about $200 for the hard drive. It's no longer unusual for groups or individuals to request the records and there is no law restricting the use to which they are put. Some supporters of the domestic partnership law have said they will post by hometown and address the names of people who signed the referendum. State Elections Director Nick Handy has said the agency supports transparency and supports the open-records, but strongly urges people not to use the information to harass voters for taking part in a constitutionally protect right.

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