The Evergreen State Needs One Vote for Marriage Equality

One senatorial vote stands between Washington state and gay marriage. Five legislators remain undecided. With a view to tipping the scales, Seattle’s Stranger newspaper has cataloged their indecision, complete with contact info for readers interested in giving them a lean. —ARK

The Stranger:

Here’s the hard math that’s creating the cliff-hanger: Getting a marriage bill out of the senate will require 25 votes. But right now, according to a Stranger tally, there are only 24 reliable “yes” votes in the senate. Of those, 22 of them are Democrats and two of them are Republicans who only very recently came out in favor of marriage equality (Senator Steve Litzow of Mercer Island and Senator Cheryl Pflug of Maple Valley—big ups!).

Meanwhile, 20 senators are sure to vote “no” on same-sex marriage, including two anti-marriage Democrats who have long opposed full civil equality for gays and lesbians (Tim Sheldon of Kitsap County and James Hargrove of the Olympic Peninsula—booooo!).

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The Stranger

Washington state Sen. Jim Kastama announced his support for a marriage equality bill on Jan. 19.