Calling all registered voters in Florida.Via Liberty Counsel:
We need your help now to collect new petitions from Florida voters during the next two weeks.
We have just learned that, due to an unprecedented audit ordered by the Florida Division of Elections, approximately 30,000 Florida Marriage Protection Amendment petitions have been thrown out. Although over 611,000 signatures were gathered, the amendment is now short by 22,000 petitions as a result of the audit.
The amendment defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman and would prohibit polygamy, group marriage, and same sex marriages from being recognized in Florida. The fight to bring this amendment to a vote has taken much effort and it is not over yet. In 2006, Mathew Staver successfully defended the amendment language before the Florida Supreme Court against an attack by the ACLU. We believe the ACLU will do whatever it can to stop this petition from getting on the November ballot.
Under a new law, petitions can not be delivered to local county supervisors of elections by individual petition signers. All petitions must be physically mailed or hand delivered to the state headquarters of Florida4Marriage.org, located at 4853 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando FL 32806, before close of business on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 (Presidential Primary Election Day). Florida4Marriage.org is required to turn in the petitions.
The final count must be complete by January 31 and the Division of Elections will certify the final number on February 1. It is imperative that we receive the required number of signatures in order to be placed on the ballot in November 2008. If we fall short, we have to start all over again. We are not alarmists, but Liberty Counsel is sounding the alarm on this matter. Time is off the essence.
Any registered Florida voter can sign a petition.
Take Action Today!
- Email this post to anyone you know that lives in Florida or has Florida connections. Ask other national organizations to send an announcement to their contacts in Florida. We must all work together in this final signature push!
- Contact your Florida friends, neighbors and family who have not signed the petition. Petitions can be downloaded in PDF format HERE. You can also click the Florida Marriage Petition link at www.LC.org.
- Florida residents should appeal to your pastor to do a petition collection during the next two Sundays. Ask that the church distribute one copy to each person attending and collect the signed petitions immediately for return to the Florida4Marriage.org office. Bulletin insert petitions are also available online. We have also prepared a memo showing that churches can legally promote the marriage amendment.
- Volunteer to collect petitions outside of early voting sites in Florida which opened this week. Look up your county Supervisor Elections office to find early voting sites in your county. Make sure you stand 100 feet away from the polling place to meet the legal requirement.
- Above all, pray that this final push will bring in enough signatures so that Florida voters will have a choice in November to support marriage.
Twenty-seven states have already passed marriage amendments to protect traditional marriage. Let's help make Florida number twenty-eight.
Hat Tip: A ton of emailing friends and Nathan Bradfield.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
What happened to the 30,000 that were thrown out? Why were they thrown out?
Usually petitions are thrown out for several reasons. Some of which are if someone signed a petition at church and at the grocery store… that’s a duplicate and would be thrown out. If someone signed and they aren’t a registered voter…out. If names can’t be read in order to validate… someone signed up who is really dead (don’t laugh… it happens somehow) or if someone signed the petition and their registration has expired before the petitions submission.
I don’t know the reasons or the breakdown of the reasons for the 30,000 in this case.
You are a fool. An idiot with delusional thoughts of importance. If you think that people fighting for equality are going to be the least bit deterred by some closet queen like yourself who keeps telling everyone that he is not gay from obtaining marriage equality, i suggest you bring your sorry back hind over there with Mickey Mouse. You are a pathetic joke and a nuisance at best.
Randy, where did you get your degree in law and medicine and psychiatry? Oh of course. You don’t have any of those. Tell the truth. Jackass.
I am not trying to deter anyone from speaking their mind or doing what they have or want to do. I am only speaking my mind and doing what I have to and want to do. If anyone is “deterring” gay activists I think it would be Mr. George’s total ambivalence on the issue of civil partnerships.
I haven’t been in any metaphorical closets for over 23 years. I gave up my queen status long ago (don’t even have the tiara anymore.) I love Mickey Mouse because he is the reason I don’t have to pay a state income tax. My “sorry behind?” I KNOW that’s why I joined a gym again.
Yeah, I am probably a nuisance… but then again, no one is chasing you down to visit this blog.
I know my place in the grand scheme of things. That’s why I often say I am a nobody in a sea of everybody. Plus, you don’t have to have a degree in order to have an opinion. You don’t have to have a high profile to communicate a message … or three.
Have a good night Ewe.
Ewe, speak your mind. Express your opinion. You and your thoughts are valid. Randy obviously welcomes them on this blog. I’ve read many of your comments on this and other blogs. I myself would like to understand you better, but I have difficulty understanding what your point is, as it usually appears hidden in so much aggression.
So, express yourself. But quit calling Randy names. That’s not okay.
Randy,
While your praying, kindly take your eyes off every guys crotch.
Julie,
If you don’t get that my point is to combat ugly minded closet homosexuals who say they do not have a closet because they are no longer gay, then you must be special needs. As for how and what words i choose to use, that will remain my doing not yours or of course Ms. Randy’s censorship. More importantly Julie, i do not respect the hateful “gay to straight” groups. You insult me for who i am and what i have never felt bad about. The only struggle was and continues to combatting hate from society that people like Randy and probably yourself have chosen to run and hide from by accomodating and fostering ignorance. So don’t you dare tell me whats ok and whats not okay. I will be the judge of myself not some young thirty something year old pathetic queen who cannot handle not being the center of every gay mans life so decides to put every gay man down for being happy and IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER MAN WHICH YOU DO NOT AND NEVER HAVE HAD BECAUSE YOU ARE A FUCKED UP QUEEN. Use your silly christian antics on someone who does not recognize the manipulation it is being used by people like you. Shame on you. Jesus was killed for being openly gay. Shame on you.
The sentence in capital letters above are meant for Randy. But Julie, if you are wondering why i come off so angry, you should take a good look at the world that openly gay men live in and see that you are an enemy with your fluffy evil rhetoric disguised and empathy. It is complacency rooted in fear. Come out. If you are ::: edit :::. I am not writing on this blog for you to understand anything. I could care less if people remain ignorant. My goal is to silence the stupid.
call me all the names you want but don’t call other people who comment here names. That’s the only part of your comment I edited.
… very telling.
Thank you for trying to help me out Julie. The weird thing is I didn’t even add any personal commentary to the original post on this thread.
Randy, you’re welcome. Wasn’t trying to stick my nose into anything. But I’m tired of seeing you and others attacked.
Ewe, yes, I can tell you it’s not okay to attack my friends.
I assume you are using the term ’special needs’ to describe me because you followed the link to my blog. If I blogged about people of African descent, would you call me the ‘N’ word? (Though you didn’t really use an offensive word like the ‘n’ word to describe developmental disabilities, calling someone ’special needs’ as an insult implies you believe those who have disabilities to be ‘less than’ those who don’t.) You exchange (what you consider to be) hate for hate. Even stooping as low as to attack those with developmental disabilities- and who don’t have ANYTHING to do with this conversation- who haven’t the voice that you have just to offend me.
I don’t want to fight with you anymore. It’s tempting, but I’m not really showing the love of Christ this way (and Christ does love you). I realize I might sound arrogant in that sentence, and I apologize. So, I won’t be communitcating with you anymore like this. Good bye, Ewe.