A federal judge in Seattle has refused to dismiss a legal challenge to Washington's top-two primary system.

Washington state officials are ready to verify signatures for a proposed referendum on Washington state's newly expanded domestic partnership law.

Sponsors of a campaign to overturn the state's recent "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law have set an appointment to turn in their petition signatures this weekend.

Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill Monday that eases the restoration of voting rights for felons who are no longer in Washington state custody but owe court-ordered fines and restitution. It takes effect July 26. "We have come to understand we can't create a debtor's prison here," Gregoire said.

Convicted felons could get their voting rights back once they're no longer in state custody, but not if they stop paying court-ordered fines, under a measure passed by the Senate.

Washington's 39 counties certified their election results Tuesday evening, showing a record turnout of 84.61 percent. That barely beats the record from 1944, which was about 84.54 percent.

As expected, Washington state voter turnout was strong Tuesday, fueled by the presidential election, a tense gubernatorial rematch and hot-button ballot initiatives.

State schools chief Terry Bergeson and Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland were locked in tough re-election fights Tuesday, while Democrat Jim McIntire and Republican Allan Martin squared off for the vacant state treasurer's office.

After four years of anticipation, months of negative ads and weeks of legal maneuvering, the rematch between Gov. Chris Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi comes to a close this week.

A county-by-county assessment by The Associated Press found that as of Tuesday, more than 820,000 ballots had been returned by the state's 3.6 million voters. Counties say a steady stream of ballots are coming in daily.

The state's vote-by-mail system ensures that any close race will be unsettled for days afterward. That's because ballots count if they're mailed as late as midnight on Election Day, a system that usually leaves about half of the vote outstanding at the end of the night.

Secretary of State Sam Reed is predicting 83 percent voter turnout in November. If he's right, it would be the best showing for the general election in more than six decades. Ballots will be sent out Friday to most of the state's more than 3.5 million registered voters.