Right after Referendum 71 qualified for the ballot, we posted up a “how to” on the R-71 saga. It can be confusing, and we want to make it less confusing, so we spelled out the whats and the whys. It was a really popular post, and we thought that it would only be appropriate to bring it back just before ballots start landing in peoples’ mailboxes. Got a confused friend? Send this their way!

Yesterday, Referendum 71 was formally deemed to have qualified for the November ballot. In case you’re unfamiliar, R-71 is the bill that would roll back one of the 2008 legislative session’s biggest victories – the so-called “everything but marriage” bill, which gave same-sex domestic partnerships the same legal rights as married couples.

R-71 is tricky, because it’s asking you, the voter, whether the new law is good and should be kept. Therefore, a “yes” vote is a vote for equality. Sort of tricky, right? Here’s a step-by-step for you and your crew:

• Senate Bill 5688 says: same-sex couples should be eligible to receive the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.
• Referendum 71 asks the public whether the law is good or not.
• Voting Yes on R-71 means you agree with SB 5688 and think the law should stay as it is.
• Voting No means you think there should be unfair treatment of same-sex couples.

It’s sort of straightforward, but at the same time can be really confusing. The bottom-line: Vote Yes for equal rights and fairness!