Leave a Comment Jacob Combs
Archives – April, 2012
Early voting at record levels leading up to North Carolina election
By Jacob Combs
Early voting in the weeks before the May 8 primary election in North Carolina in which voters will decide the fate of the anti-gay Amendment One is off to a strong start, with turnout expected to set a record for any primary election since the state instituted same-day registration and voting in 2000. As the Raleigh-Durham News and Observer reports, the first week of early voting this year was even stronger than the first week of the 2008 presidential primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, with almost 12,000 more votes cast this year than 2008. Including mail-in ballots, almost 122,000 ballots have been cast since early voting began on April 19.
While this promising head-start is significant, it only marks the beginning of what will certainly be a race to the finish line. The early voting turnout so far represents only two percent of registered voters, and early voting will no doubt pick up as May 8 approaches: in 2008, 70 percent of early votes were cast in the final six days. That means that this week is absolutely crucial: with that six-day period beginning on Thursday, our allies fighting Amendment One have about three days to effect what may be the most important voter education of the campaign. And once those final six days begin, it’ll take an aggressive push on the ground to get voters to polls either before or on election day.
In an editorial published yesterday, the New York Times came out against Amendment One, highlighting the negative consequences it could have for gay and straight couples alike:
North Carolina already has a law barring same-sex marriage, but the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature is not satisfied. It devised a measure to enshrine this obvious discrimination in the State Constitution and placed it on the ballot of the state’s May 8 primary election — a test of tolerance versus bigotry that ought to be watched closely nationwide.
In their zeal, lawmakers got careless with the wording of the measure, known as Amendment One. It would constitutionally prohibit recognition not just of same-sex marriages, but of other legal arrangements like civil unions and domestic partnerships. That could harm all unmarried couples, imperiling some children’s health insurance benefits, along with child custody arrangements and safeguards against domestic violence.
With a little over a week to go before the election, the No on Amendment One side has our work cut out for us. But as these early voting numbers show, although we may still face an uphill battle, we are going to make this election as competitive as possible.
What you can do to help defeat Amendment One:
1. Contribute to the campaign on ActBlue so they have the resources they need to get our message out.
2. Sign up for a Courageous Conversation about Amendment One with someone you know in NC.
3. Follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
4. Download social media tools and yard signs to show your opposition to Amendment 1.
5. Volunteer to Call for Equality – a GOTV phone banking effort against Amendment 1.
6. Sign up to help get out the vote in NC yourself! Courage Campaign is arranging out-of-state caravans and travel assistance is available.
38 Comments April 30, 2012
Join us for a one-day Twitter fundraiser to help defeat anti-gay Amendment 1 in North Carolina
By Scottie Thomaston
Today, we are joining a one-day Twitter fund raiser to help defeat Amendment 1 in North Carolina. Over 20 activists, writers, bloggers and other folks are participating in this attempt to beat back this odious amendment. There are LGBT activists participating alongside straight allies. Pam Spaulding writes:
We are still in the heat of the fight, airing ads to educate voters about Amendment One’s harms. Today some of my online buddies are joining in as the clock ticks down to the May 8 vote. Early voting is under way and runs through May 5; on Twitter today we are doing a mini-fundraiser, offering to donate to Protect All NC Families from this morning until midnight for each new follower (my counter started at 10,115).
Today, I’m proud to be joining a handful of awesome bloggers and activist in a one-day, Twitter driven mini-fundraiser/awareness campaign to help GOTV. You may recognize many of them, like Pam Spaulding, Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs, MoveOn’s Julia Rosen, AmericaBlog’s Joe Sudbay, the hilarious Lizz Winstead and our own [and P8TT's own] Scottie Thomaston.
Here’s Adam’s tweet:
Will give $1 to @protectNC to defeat #Amendment1 4 each new follower b4 midnight EST, up to $25. I start at 1887.
— Adam Bink (@adamjbink) April 30, 2012
Here’s my contribution:
Will give $1 to @protectNC to defeat anti-gay #Amendment1 4 each new follower b4 midnight EST, up to $100. I start at 267. #LGBT #NC
— Scottie Thomaston (@indiemcemopants) April 30, 2012
Thanks to all those participating: @adamjbink, @davidbadash, @dmcrawford, @joesudbay, @pamspaulding, @indiemcemopants, @tedeytan, @LizzWinstead, @clarknt67, @tlanehudson, @AndySzekeres, @kathyplate, @robynochs, @richferraro, @andekelley, @bilerico, @cooper888, @toddbeeton, @goodasyou, @KTravisBallie, @nathanhjb, @juliarosen, @denisdison, @notfakeandrew, @CourageCampaign, @davidhalldc, @khj, @laurelramseyer, @pullenparkqueer, @allisonpalmer, @camerontolle, @alb68, @HRC, @TNEquality, @quietis, @rickjacobs, @GetEQUAL, @waymonhudson, @chrismassicotte, @xavierla, @raylab, @blabbeando, @pghlesbian24, @madingbaum, @sandibehrns, @matt-thorn, @benjyraymunson, @joshco, @rockrichard, @KarlFrisch
Storify is also compiling tweets from our fund raiser!
Here’s Rick Jacobs:
Will give $1 to @protectNC to defeat #Amendment1 4 each new follower b4 midnight PDT, up to $386. I start at 1614. .@ariannahuf
— rickjacobs (@rickjacobs) April 30, 2012
Updates in the extended entry…
(more…)
7 Comments April 30, 2012
WATCH: Latest TV ad by the campaign fighting to defeat North Carolina’s anti-gay Amendment 1
By Scottie Thomaston
Today the new TV ad from Protect ALL NC Families, the campaign to defeat the anti-gay Amendment 1 in North Carolina, makes its debut. The ad features Assistant District Attorney of Wake County, NC, Amily McCool. Weeks ago, McCool noted in stark terms what would happen if the amendment were to pass:
Amily McCool, Asst DA of Wake Co: #Amendment1 would mean victims of domestic violence would have to marry their attacker for protection
— Protect ALL Families (@protectNC) April 23, 2012
McCool has experience prosecuting domestic violence crimes:
McCool currently prosecutes both felony and misdemeanor domestic violence crimes and solely prosecuted these types of cases in Wake County’s specialized domestic violence courtroom. She has a Masters of Social Work and has practiced in the domestic violence field for over 10 years, working with both victims and batterers.In the ad, McCool says, “Amendment One could take away protections for domestic violence victims.”
The ad, entitled “Amily,” features the domestic violence litigator pulling from piles of files and photos of domestic violence cases of unmarried victims—victims, according to experts from every major law school in the state who could lose their domestic violence protections because of the broad wording of Amendment One.
“This is just a handful of the many, many, many victims that could be affected,” says McCool as she pulls from the stacks of cases of unmarried, abused women.
Watch:
We have written before about the escalating War on Women and children. This attempt to reach far beyond defining marriage as between a man and a woman, stretching the amendment’s language into a confusing and broad legal phrase that is unprecedented in North Carolina law, will significantly affect women; and it will create another front in the never-ending war to end protections for women’s health, for violence against women, and for health care and legal protections for unmarried women in relationships. Creating confusing legal situations for vulnerable people in need of real help is not something North Carolinians can afford to do.
That is a theme the governor of North Carolina, Bev Perdue, focused on in videos and in a speech to a women’s conference earlier this month. It’s why groups fighting domestic violence oppose the amendment.
Yesterday, even Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz came out strongly against Amendment 1:
And at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee’s executive committee, one member warned that if the amendment passes, gay and lesbian convention delegates may “keep our money in our pockets” at the national convention in Charlotte.On May 8, North Carolinians will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Opponents and supporters say it also could affect health insurance and other benefits for unmarried heterosexual couples.
“(The amendment) would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples,” party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz told the meeting at the Westin Hotel.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/28/3205807/democratic-party-chair-speaks.html#storylink=cpy
With only a week or so to go before the election on May 8, voters need to be made aware of the unintended consequences this amendment will have, as well as the true intent behind the proponents’ efforts to push the amendment.
What you can do to help defeat Amendment One:
1. Contribute to the campaign on ActBlue so they have the resources they need to get our message out.
2. Sign up for a Courageous Conversation about Amendment One with someone you know in NC.
3. Follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
4. Download social media tools and yard signs to show your opposition to Amendment 1.
5. Volunteer to Call for Equality – a GOTV phone banking effort against Amendment 1.
6. Sign up to help get out the vote in NC yourself! Courage Campaign is arranging out-of-state caravans and travel assistance is available.
15 Comments April 30, 2012
