Slow Start for Marriage Equality Repeal Effort in Washington

The drive to repeal marriage equality in Washington State is not off to an auspicious start, if the campaign’s reported number of collected signatures supporting a November referendum is accurate.

Though a judge approved ballot language for Referendum 74 nearly one month ago, the group Preserve Marriage Washington, the National Organization for Marriage-backed group pushing for repeal of the the new law, reports that only 5,680 signatures have been collected. 120,577 valid signatures are needed by June 6 to put the measure on the November ballot, and the organization says it’s aiming to collect 150,000.

A spokesman for the group told The Seattle Times that it would consider hiring paid signature gatherers to reach the minimum threshold needed. (Read the story here.)

In an interview soon after the bill signing in February, Gov. Chris Gregoire told The Advocate that while she expects anti-gay marriage groups will get the issue on the ballot, voters ultimately will reject a repeal.

“I’m not really afraid,” Gregoire said. “[In Washington], we started with antidiscrimination, moved to domestic partnership, moved to the ballot, and now this is our final step toward equality. So I think the people of my state have been on the same journey that I’ve been on.”