Protect Marriage Washington argued, however, that the "consent of the governed" as per the Declaration of Independence has been withheld from same sex marriage in every state where the issue has been put to a vote of the people. It has been noted that Referendum 71 is about Domestic Partnerships and does not grant marriage equality to same sex couples. Polls A 2007 University of Washington poll found 73% of Washington voters support some legal recognition of same-sex relationships (civil union/domestic partnership or marriage). The same group in October 2009 conducted a poll (N = 754 registered voters) and found that 56% of respondents planned to vote 'approve', and 39% planned to vote 'reject.' A 2009 Elway Poll commissioned by the Faith and Freedom Network, an organization opposed to gay marriage, asked "Should homosexuals be allowed to legally marry?" The Elway Poll (N = 405 registered voters) reported 43% saying yes and 50% saying no. A September 2009 poll (N = 569 likely voters) commissioned by the Approve 71 campaign and conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (GQR) found that, when presented with the actual Referendum's language, 51% of likely voters chose to approve and 44% to reject the legislation. A later GQR poll (N = 500 likely voters) released on October 26, 2009 found that the 53% approved the legislation, while 36% rejected it. An October 2009 poll by Survey USA, funded by KING-TV in Seattle showed that 50% of the 561 likely voters polled would vote for the measure while 43% would reject it, 7% unsure. Election results Endorsers of Referendum 71 Endorsing a vote of "approve" Governor Christine Gregoire U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell U.S. Representatives Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, and Jim McDermott 17 of 49 state senators 46 of 98 state representatives Microsoft Boeing Google Nike, Inc. Puget Sound Energy RealNetworks Vulcan Inc. Washington State Democratic Party Washington Association of Churches League of Women Voters of Washington Mainstream Republicans of Washington Washington State Council of Firefighters Washington State Nurses Association Children's Alliance Washington State Bar Association Washington State Senior Citizens Lobby NAACP, King County Chapter over 260 other organizations Newspapers: The Columbian Everett Herald The News Tribune The Olympian The Oregonian The Seattle Times Skagit Valley Herald The Spokesman-Review The Stranger Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Endorsing a vote of "reject" Washington Values Alliance - Larry Stickney Washington State Republican Party Washington Eagle Forum - Cindy Honcoop