OLYMPIA — A court hearing on Referendum 71 in Olympia may decide if the public will vote Nov. 3 on expanded domestic partnerships.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee will hear arguments at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by a group called Washington Families Standing Together. The group claims the secretary of state’s office improperly accepted thousands of petition signatures. The state is defending the office.

The referendum’s sponsor, a group called Protect Marriage Washington, wants citizens to decide whether to approve or reject the “everything but marriage” law passed by the Legislature.

The law would extend marriage-like benefits to gay couples and older unmarried heterosexual couples.