Theresa Hogue, January 2, 2008
Halene and Amy Anderson had planned to head to the Benton County Courthouse this morning to register as domestic partners, an opportunity provided for them by a new Oregon law that was supposed to take effect on Jan. 1.
But last Friday, U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman ruled that opponents to the law had a right to prove that some of the signatures they had gathered during a petition drive aimed at forcing a statewide vote on the issue were unfairly rejected. Last fall, state officials ruled that the petition drive had come up short of gathering enough valid signatures to put the matter on the November 2008 ballot ...
State Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis said last week's ruling challenges the way county officials validate petition signatures, a system she believes already adequately protects signature gatherers.
County clerks who counted petition signatures were observed by members of both sides of the domestic partnership issue, Gelser said, and there were no objections raised at the time. If stringent requirements already in place aren't enough to ensure accurate validation of signatures, Gelser said she's not sure how the counties might have to change their procedures.
"I realized it raises significant concerns about the future of signature validation," she said.
Gelser said she is also frustrated at the postponement of rights the law would have afforded to same-sex couples.
"The idea is giving that legal recognition to the commitment this couple is making to each other," she said.