By State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles

Ed. Note: This was originally sent as an email by the Approve Referendum 71 campaign.

Last legislative session I proudly voted for Senate Bill 5688 – ensuring that all Washington families would be treated equally under state law, with the same protections and the same obligations as their neighbors.

The bill passed both houses with large majorities and the Governor proudly signed the bill.

Now, thousands of families in Washington state are at risk of losing these protections contained in the domestic partnership law unless voters APPROVE Referendum 71.

SB 5688 contained important protections for families, especially in times of crisis, including:

-The ability to take unpaid leave from work to take care of a seriously ill partner without fear of being fired.

-The ability to receive hard earned pension and death benefits when a partner dies.

-Protections for children when a parent dies.

We can't allow protections to be rolled back. I'm urging you to vote approve on Referendum 71 so we can keep the domestic partnership law as already passed by the legislature. I'm asking you to speak to family and friends about the importance of Approving Referendum 71.

The Approve 71 campaign has been endorsed by more than 500 organizations, businesses and clergy. Major papers from across the state have endorsed approving Referendum 71.

Despite widespread support for equality in Washington state, the Approve Referendum 71 campaign is facing a tough fight: it's an off-year election when we know that equality-friendly younger voters are less likely to mail in their ballot. We also know that moderate voters tend to vote "no" on ballot measures when they aren't fully informed about an issue.

We all need to motivate and educate voters. But, time is ticking and as you know, voter outreach costs money.

The referendum qualified for the ballot on Sept. 2. Since then, the campaign has raised more than $1.5 million, but to keep their advertisements on the air they still need to raise $100,000 before Nov. 3. Please make a contribution today to the Approve 71 Campaign.

If you would like to volunteer or contribute to the campaign, or learn more about how the domestic partnership law protects Washington families, please visit http://approvereferendum71.org

Thank you for helping to keep Washington families protected by voting Approve on Referendum 71. Mail your ballots by Nov. 3.