ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE PETITION FALLS 155,000 SIGNATURES SHY
The Times-Union -- February 3, 2006
by Jeff Brumley
The coalition of state religious groups, collectively known as Florida4Marriage.Org, fell nearly 155,000 certified signatures short of the 611,009 needed by 5 p.m. Wednesday to place the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment before voters this year.The Jacksonville-based Florida Baptist Convention and the Florida Catholic Conference in Tallahassee were among the religious organizations that participated in the effort.Undeterred, the group's leaders on Thursday pledged to continue their signature-collecting campaign to place the amendment, which defines marriage solely as the union of one man and one woman, onto the ballot in 2008."We want to launch a '155,000 signatures in 55 days campaign' and just complete this thing," said John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer and chairman of Florida4Marriage.Org. Signatures already collected in the effort are valid for four years, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Elections said.Opponents welcomed news of the signature shortfall, calling it a victory for "fair-minded Floridians" opposed to discrimination but adding they aren't letting down their guard."Our message is that the fight's not over," said Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, a statewide gay-rights group participating in an anti-amendment coalition called Fairness for All Families.Smith said the coalition will have a series of meetings across the state this month to warn Floridians of the continuing campaign, which she said threatens domestic partnership benefits for unmarried gay and straight couples alike."It's hard to celebrate when this kind of organized attack on your families is happening in your state," Smith said.Stemberger and others who worked for the proposal disputed opponents' claims that the signature shortfall represents voter disapproval.Rather, they fell short because they had more signatures to collect and less time than previous citizen initiatives.A busy hurricane season also hampered their campaign, which they said was waged with unpaid volunteers.Previously, signatures for citizen initiatives could be collected and certified until up to 90 days before an election. But Florida voters approved an amendment in 2004 shortening the deadline to Feb. 1."You sort of have a steep hill to climb" with the shortened time frame, said Sheila Hopkins, associate for social concerns for the Florida Catholic Conference.The minimum number of valid signatures required was 8 percent of the total number of registered voters who cast ballots in Florida in the last general election. This year that meant 611,009, compared with 488,722 needed in 2004, according to the Division of Elections Web site.The amendment was born in Jacksonville in 2004 when messengers at the Florida Baptist State Convention adopted a motion for the constitutional protection of marriage. Amendment supporters say the current state law banning same-sex marriage could be overturned by the courts.Gov. Jeb Bush said the petitions failed because of logistics, not because Floridians disagree with the idea. The Republican Party of Florida had contributed $150,000 to the effort, but Bush said the other successful amendments were better-funded.About 20 other states have approved similar measures, including 11 in the last general election."It just didn't have the kind of financial support that these other ones do," Bush said. "I think if it was on the ballot, it would pass by two- or three-to-one."In Jacksonville, the state Division of Elections' Web site showed that congressional districts that include First Coast counties generated 77,220 valid signatures, 3,717 more than the the minimum required.http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020306/met_marriage.shtmlGROUP HOPEFUL OVER GAY MARRIAGE BAN SW Florida News-Press -- February 3, 2006 by Aaron DeslatteTallahassee -- With the clock expired this year on a petition drive to put a gay marriage ban in the Florida Constitution, conservative lawmakers have decided not to press the issue in the coming legislative session.But organizers of the proposed amendment still are hoping for their day in court next week.Florida4Marriage, an Orlando-based group backed by churches and religious organizations, fell about 150,000 signatures short of the 611,000 needed by Wednesday's deadline to place the question before voters this year.The organization's chairman, Orlando lawyer John Stemberger, said his group now would shift its goal to putting the amendment on the ballot in 2008. Valid voter signatures are good for four years.But the group still wants the Florida Supreme Court to hold oral arguments on language of the proposed amendment, scheduled for Wednesday.The high court is charged with making sure proposed amendments that have collected 10 percent of the necessary signatures are understandable and cover only one subject.But the court isn't required to review them until the year they would actually appear on the ballot."We're hopeful they're going to hear the case and not cancel the hearing," Stemberger said Thursday. "If we're going to get an adverse hearing, we'd rather get that sooner than later."The ACLU of Florida, along with other gay and lesbian rights groups, plan to argue that the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment is deceptive because it also could deny same-sex partners other domestic benefits."We have no reason to think they won't still hear the case. The signatures still pose a threat and are still viable for the 2008 election," said Art Rosenwald, a lawyer with the ACLU legal team.Several House lawmakers had considered asking the Legislature to send the amendment to voters this year, but said Thursday they were dropping the idea unless a court ruling were to jeopardize Florida's law already on the books banning gay marriage.Gov. Jeb Bush said he had no doubt that voters would pass the amendment "by two to three to one," but said he didn't know if lawmakers should wade into the issue.http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060203/NEWS01/602030393/1002/NEWS01
by Jeff Brumley
The coalition of state religious groups, collectively known as Florida4Marriage.Org, fell nearly 155,000 certified signatures short of the 611,009 needed by 5 p.m. Wednesday to place the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment before voters this year.The Jacksonville-based Florida Baptist Convention and the Florida Catholic Conference in Tallahassee were among the religious organizations that participated in the effort.Undeterred, the group's leaders on Thursday pledged to continue their signature-collecting campaign to place the amendment, which defines marriage solely as the union of one man and one woman, onto the ballot in 2008."We want to launch a '155,000 signatures in 55 days campaign' and just complete this thing," said John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer and chairman of Florida4Marriage.Org. Signatures already collected in the effort are valid for four years, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Elections said.Opponents welcomed news of the signature shortfall, calling it a victory for "fair-minded Floridians" opposed to discrimination but adding they aren't letting down their guard."Our message is that the fight's not over," said Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, a statewide gay-rights group participating in an anti-amendment coalition called Fairness for All Families.Smith said the coalition will have a series of meetings across the state this month to warn Floridians of the continuing campaign, which she said threatens domestic partnership benefits for unmarried gay and straight couples alike."It's hard to celebrate when this kind of organized attack on your families is happening in your state," Smith said.Stemberger and others who worked for the proposal disputed opponents' claims that the signature shortfall represents voter disapproval.Rather, they fell short because they had more signatures to collect and less time than previous citizen initiatives.A busy hurricane season also hampered their campaign, which they said was waged with unpaid volunteers.Previously, signatures for citizen initiatives could be collected and certified until up to 90 days before an election. But Florida voters approved an amendment in 2004 shortening the deadline to Feb. 1."You sort of have a steep hill to climb" with the shortened time frame, said Sheila Hopkins, associate for social concerns for the Florida Catholic Conference.The minimum number of valid signatures required was 8 percent of the total number of registered voters who cast ballots in Florida in the last general election. This year that meant 611,009, compared with 488,722 needed in 2004, according to the Division of Elections Web site.The amendment was born in Jacksonville in 2004 when messengers at the Florida Baptist State Convention adopted a motion for the constitutional protection of marriage. Amendment supporters say the current state law banning same-sex marriage could be overturned by the courts.Gov. Jeb Bush said the petitions failed because of logistics, not because Floridians disagree with the idea. The Republican Party of Florida had contributed $150,000 to the effort, but Bush said the other successful amendments were better-funded.About 20 other states have approved similar measures, including 11 in the last general election."It just didn't have the kind of financial support that these other ones do," Bush said. "I think if it was on the ballot, it would pass by two- or three-to-one."In Jacksonville, the state Division of Elections' Web site showed that congressional districts that include First Coast counties generated 77,220 valid signatures, 3,717 more than the the minimum required.http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020306/met_marriage.shtmlGROUP HOPEFUL OVER GAY MARRIAGE BAN SW Florida News-Press -- February 3, 2006 by Aaron DeslatteTallahassee -- With the clock expired this year on a petition drive to put a gay marriage ban in the Florida Constitution, conservative lawmakers have decided not to press the issue in the coming legislative session.But organizers of the proposed amendment still are hoping for their day in court next week.Florida4Marriage, an Orlando-based group backed by churches and religious organizations, fell about 150,000 signatures short of the 611,000 needed by Wednesday's deadline to place the question before voters this year.The organization's chairman, Orlando lawyer John Stemberger, said his group now would shift its goal to putting the amendment on the ballot in 2008. Valid voter signatures are good for four years.But the group still wants the Florida Supreme Court to hold oral arguments on language of the proposed amendment, scheduled for Wednesday.The high court is charged with making sure proposed amendments that have collected 10 percent of the necessary signatures are understandable and cover only one subject.But the court isn't required to review them until the year they would actually appear on the ballot."We're hopeful they're going to hear the case and not cancel the hearing," Stemberger said Thursday. "If we're going to get an adverse hearing, we'd rather get that sooner than later."The ACLU of Florida, along with other gay and lesbian rights groups, plan to argue that the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment is deceptive because it also could deny same-sex partners other domestic benefits."We have no reason to think they won't still hear the case. The signatures still pose a threat and are still viable for the 2008 election," said Art Rosenwald, a lawyer with the ACLU legal team.Several House lawmakers had considered asking the Legislature to send the amendment to voters this year, but said Thursday they were dropping the idea unless a court ruling were to jeopardize Florida's law already on the books banning gay marriage.Gov. Jeb Bush said he had no doubt that voters would pass the amendment "by two to three to one," but said he didn't know if lawmakers should wade into the issue.http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060203/NEWS01/602030393/1002/NEWS01
