While Democrats swept congressional races yesterday (CA-10 and NY-23) and Republicans monopolized gubernatorial elections (New Jersey and Virginia,) the march towards LGBT equality may be the most notable storyline of Election Day, 2009.
In the most-watched race concerning LGBT rights, Maine voters repealed marriage equality legislation 53 percent to 47 percent. Equality advocates had hoped that Maine's libertarian streak -- which powered a medical marijuana initiative's passage 60 percent to 40 percent -- would contribute to their success as well. In the end, however, Maine became the 31st state in which voters rejected marriage equality.
On the northern tip of the other coast, Washington State voters appear to have endorsed legislation granting domestic partnership rights to same-sex couples. Referendum 71 was placed on the ballot by opponents of Washington's "everything but marriage" law, passed earlier this year in Olympia. "Sources differ as to whether the race has officially been called or not, but it appears that Referendum 71, which expands domestic partner rights to an everything-except-marriage standard in Washington, will be Approved," writes Nate Silver. "The initiative leads by only about 22,000 votes right now, but about a third of the outstanding vote is from Seattle's King County, which supports it heavily."
ual orientation or disability. The New York Times