The other day Avedon posted a nifty link from Open Left on A VERY Cheap Turnout-Boosting Method Democrats Need To Embrace from Paul Rosenberg. Kewl ideas.
The GOP, however, aims to pull out the ol' gay wedge issue among others to GOTV for the election November 4.
Reuters summarized (with emphasis):
FLORIDA - Amendment 2 asking Floridians to vote yes or no to a proposal to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman will be on the ballot. Florida is seen as a crucial swing state in the presidential election.
CALIFORNIA - Signatures are being gathered in California, another important state, to have a similar proposals on its ballot. The petition must have 700,000 signatures gathered by April 28 for the proposal to be placed on the ballot.
ARKANSAS - Signatures are being sought to propose a measure to change state law to ban unmarried couples from adopting or serving as foster parents. Gay rights activists say same-sex couples are the target of this initiative.
From 365Gay, the contentious battle in Florida has provoked the usual right-wing hate speech describing any union other than between a man and a woman as "aberrant."
The Washington Blade updated the latest news on Califorina's anti-gay ballot initiative today:
...proponents of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage are reporting that they have gathered 881,000 of the 1.1 million signatures needed, according to a report by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The Equality for All campaign continues to fight the signature-gathering drive and has called on the gay community and other supportive Californians to help stop the initiative. The “protectmarriage.com” campaign called on volunteers and paid signature gatherers to turn in their petitions by Tuesday, but petitions can be turned in as late as April 21 and still count toward qualifying the amendment for the ballot. Because the proposed ballot initiative would change the state constitution, the legislature, which in 2005 and 2007 passed marriage bills Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed, would be prohibited from passing another bill in the future. And since constitutional amendments take precedence over legislation and limit the authority of courts, current cases that might lead to marriage would be stopped or reversed. The California Supreme Court is considering a same-sex marriage case.
In Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Inquirer picked up Hillary's interview with the Philly Gay News:
She said she opposed a measure that would ban same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania. "I would be very distressed if Pennsylvania were to adopt that kind of mean-spirited referendum," she said.
Last week, The Phoenix Online wrote that "the state Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance a bill that would amend the state’s constitution to make both same-sex marriages and the 'functional equivalent' of marriage — such as civil unions — illegal in Pennsylvania. . . Before the bill can be put into effect, it must pass the Senate Appropriations Committee and two consecutive General Assembly sessions. . .Then state residents would vote on it in a referendum. "
Arizona attempted to amend its state constitution banning gay marriage, a measure that had passed the House. But smart maneuvering by Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Phoenix), who tacked on a provision "to grant certain rights to unmarried couples living together, whether gay or straight," a strategy that effectively "tied the two issues together as a single ballot question, meaning voters who want to make same-sex weddings unconstitutional would be voting for some constitutional rights for gay couples," caused AZ House Republicans to kill the bill. A similar bill in the AZ Senate will not come to the floor for a vote.
And there are those other "hot button" issues that Reuters reported (with emphasis and edited for brevity):
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/CIVIL RIGHTS--COLORADO - A proposed constitutional amendment will be on the November ballot in Colorado that says: "The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any group or individual on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public contracting or public education." ...Attempts are under way to get similar proposals on the ballot in Arizona, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri. Initiatives are spearheaded by the American Civil Rights Institute.
Critics say they are aimed to end affirmative action and get conservative Republicans out to vote.
ABORTION: CALIFORNIA - Signatures are being gathered for a ballot proposal requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion.
SOUTH DAKOTA - Signatures are being gathered for a proposal to ban abortion except in cases of rape, incest or if the pregnancy threatens the mother's health or life. The signatures must be submitted by April and 16,776 must be collected.
Enthusiasm to GOTV for McCain needs an extra special wingnut ingredient, n'est-ce pas?
I'm proud of Hillary's stand against these anti-gay measures. My kind of candidate for president.
If you know of other ballot initiatives, send me an email or leave your comments and I'll update accordingly. Thanks!
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