PHOENIX—According to e-mails and letters, Arizonans overwhelmingly support a plan to expand state benefits to domestic partners of state employees.

Roughly 1,400 e-mails, letters and faxes have been received by the Arizona Department of Administration, officials said last week. Department spokesman Alan Ecker called it an extraordinary amount of comment that was received by the agency during a 30-day window allowed for public response to the proposal.

Under the proposal, state employees with domestic partners, gay or straight, could claim the same benefits as married couples. The biggest benefit among those perks is coverage under the state health plan.

Many letters received by the state agency came from longtime gay and lesbian couples.

Department of Administration Director William Bell proposed the benefits expansion in November.

It has the backing of Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The benefits-expansion proposal will next be presented to the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council, a six-member board appointed by Napolitano. The hearing, which allows public testimony, will likely occur in March or April. If approved, the change would take effect Oct. 1.