Second Anti Gay Rights Petition Fails to Qualify
Opponents of two gay rights bills passed by the state legislature this session have failed to force referenda on both laws. Earlier this week, the Oregon Secretary of State's office announced that a petition to put a law legalizing same-sex domestic partnerships on the ballot in 2008 fell short of the required number of signatures. Today the Secretary of State has revealed that a second petition to force a referendum on a law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation has also failed to make the ballot.
From the Oregonian:
Opponents of a new law prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing and other places have failed to muster enough signatures to put a referendum on the November 2008 ballot.The secretary of state's office says Defense of Marriage and Family Again and other volunteer groups fell 1,304 signatures short of the 55,179 they needed to qualify for the ballot.
Of the 59,761 signatures state officials had passed on to county elections offices for verification, 90.15 percent or 53,875 were determined to be valid, unduplicated signatures from Oregon registered voters.
Earlier this week, the secretary of state's office reported that opponents had also fallen short on the signatures needed to put a referendum targeting a new law allowing same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships on the November 2008 ballot.
Both laws were passed by the 2007 Legislature and will now take effect Jan. 1, 2008. Opponents said earlier this week that they may launch initiative campaigns asking voters to repeal one or both laws.
Read the rest. Discuss.
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Oct. 12, 2007
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12:55 p.m.
Oct 12, '07
They will be back pushing to get a repeal measure on the ballot for Nov. 2008. They will have close to half the votes they need already from the names on these two failed referendum measures. So they have until July of next year to collect 80k signatures. They will probably make it, but I think said measure would fail at the ballot box. That is if we begin suiting up now for it.
Oct 12, '07
I agree that the bad guys will probably be back, but for now, it's nice to have some of our civil rights guaranteed.
This is great news.
Oct 12, '07
Outstanding news and a significant defeat against the "evil-doers"... closeted biggots... etc.
But, they will be back because their hatred is a mental illness and without medication they have no choice.
Oct 12, '07
I hope this teaches them not to put their nose where it doesn't belong and to mind their own business.
But we know they will come back because they have a compulsion to control others.
2:33 p.m.
Oct 12, '07
I'm gonna enjoy this without the "but" for now.:)
Oct 12, '07
Will we still get to see the names of those who signed these things?
Oct 12, '07
The petitions are now public record so you can purchase copies from the office of the secretary of state.
Oct 12, '07
A full year of these civil rights laws being in place (Jan-Nov 2008) will prove to even more Oregonians that they have nothing to fear from domestic partnerships and equal rights.
Thanks to the Legislature for passing these bills! And also for adding the religious exemption that ensured that opponents couldn't get the signatures to refer it to the ballot!
Oct 13, '07
Just a few thoughts:
Shannon and her crew fell short deliberately in order to have the "gay" part of gays, guns, and terror on the ballot for the November 2008 presidential election. The evidence that they intentionally came up short was the 90% + rate (almost a record) of valid signatures.
None of the big born again churches went after this like they went after the Multnomah County marriages. If they had gone after it we'd be fighting it again in May 2008. They want to have the issue front and center in the election and also label the courageous democrats who enacted the legislation that are up for re-election as immoral. They're after a two-fer here.
The forces of hate are going to be very well organized again. They'll have plenty of money too. We need to start filling up the coffers of BRO now. We need strong candidates in all districts and the Democratic Party of Oregon needs your contributions as well to help protect the slim majorities that made this all possible.
Now is the time to start talking with your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about the issue. Speak to them early and often.
Oct 16, '07