With the majority of votes counted, Washington looks likely to become the third state to legalize same-sex marriage on a public ballot, following Maine and Maryland.

In Minnesota a ballot to ban same-sex marriage was rejected, meaning there is hope for gay couples there.

‘We celebrate tonight not the victory of one set of Washingtonians over another; instead, we celebrate the belief that all families should be treated fairly,’ said primary sponsor of the legislation in Washington, Senator Ed Murray, Seattle Times reports.

Washington is the home state of Starbucks coffee chain, which has been a vocal supporter of gay marriage. Earlier this year, attempts to boycott Starbucks by marriage equality opponents spectacularly failed.

The vote in Minnesota made it the first state to turn down an attempt to write man-woman marriage into their constitution. Arizona rejected a similar ballot in 2006 but approved an anti-same-sex-marriage constitutional amendment in 2008.

Local newspaper Pioneer Press reported earlier that a spokesperson for the main lobby group against the ban on same-sex marriage, Minnesotans United for All Families, was ‘cautiously optimistic’.

Gay marriage is banned in Minnesota, but the legislation up for vote would have made it constitutionally more difficult for judges or lawmakers to overturn the ban.

Washington also voted to legalize marijuana, and so did neighboring Oregon.