Posted on 02/03/2008 8:10:30 PM PST by Graybeard58
TALLAHASSEE (FBW) – A constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage will be on the November ballot because supporters gathered 92,000 extra petitions in about two weeks after learning a computer glitch had dropped the previous tally below the 611,009 petition requirement.
John Stemberger, chairman of the Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage, was notified Feb. 1 by the director of the Divisions of Elections, that the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment was officially certified as Amendment 2 for the Nov. 4, 2008, general election ballot with a total of 649,346 valid signatures.
Eight percent of the total number of ballots cast in the last presidential election – 611,009 – is required for a ballot initiative to qualify. Additionally, half of the state’s congressional districts – 13 of 25 – must reach the eight percent threshold. The marriage amendment surpassed that requirement in 15 congressional districts.
The marriage amendment was the only one of more than 50 active petition drives to qualify, according to The Associated Press.
“We are grateful to God first, and to our supporters second, for this amazing victory,” Stemberger said in a Feb. 1 statement. “What our people did was simply remarkable. They colleted 92,000 petitions in about 13 days.”
Noting that paid petition gatherers were not used, Stemberger said, “This is real proof for grassroots momentum for marriage as the union of one man and one woman in Florida.”
“I just wish there was some way I could meet each of the hundreds of thousands of supporters from across the state who have worked so hard and personally thank them,” Stemberger said.
“The people have spoken – twice now – and they will speak again on Nov. 4, 2008. We will now proceed with our campaign plan to overcome the final and most serious hurdle – 60 percent popular vote passage of the amendment,” he added.
The text of the proposed amendment says, “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
Like teams that finally make it to the Super Bowl but recognize just getting to the big game is not the ultimate prize, marriage amendment leaders will now turn their attention to convincing a super-majority of the electorate to approve the measure.
“The battle has only just engaged and I ask all Florida Baptists to place the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment on their prayer lists until the Nov. 4 election,” Bill Bunkley, legislative consultant for the Florida Baptist Convention, told Florida Baptist Witness in a Feb. 2 statement.
Bunkley congratulated the Florida Baptist pastors and laypersons “who stepped up to the plate to mount this massive grassroots effort.”
Saying that he was “stunned” when informed two weeks ago that the amendment had fallen nearly 22,000 signatures below the requirement after an audit found that 27,000 petitions from Miami-Dade and some from other counted were double-counted, Bunkley said “we know God provided 38,337 more petitions than necessary in just a couple of weeks.”
Currently, 27 other states have adopted similar state constitutional amendments protecting traditional marriage.
One group opposing the marriage amendment, Florida Red & Blue Committee, scoffed at the news the marriage amendment qualified for the November ballot.
“Those pushing this amendment have had three years to collect the required number of petitions. That they met that goal literally at the final hour should send a clear message that Floridians feel the state has more important things to do than create another government intrusion into our private lives,” Jon Kislak, chairman of the group told the St. Petersburg Times.
Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer issued a statement Feb. 1 praising the marriage amendment, asserting that its certification “illustrates the widespread support for the sanctity of marriage.”
“The people of Florida will have the opportunity to vote on this important issue in November. I am hopeful we will see traditional marriage – between one man and one woman – defended in our state constitution,” Greer said.
Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has distanced himself from the marriage amendment in recent months, although he personally signed a petition while a candidate for governor in 2006.
Good for you, Florida
TN voters have already passed a Marriage Act
Time for the liberals to sue.
Btw, Gov. Charlie Christ is gay.
Thats ‘Crist’.
This is a waste of time. If the voters pass it, the homosexual special interest crowd will find some bonehead “judge” somewhere who will declare it “unconstitutional.”
Actually it may lock of FL for the GOP this fall. These ballot ammendment bring out GOP voters who might stay at home. They are not voting for Hillary. I guess some might vote for Obama?
“This is a waste of time.”
No it’s not a waste of time. It will bring conservatives out en masse to vote in November. And while they are there, they’ll vote for the Republican candidate. If turnout helps the Republican candidate, who really cares about what the courts decide about the amendment?
McCain won the FL primary because of record turnout due to a homestead tax amendment on the ballot, and Charlie Crist’s endorsement. Moderate and liberal Republicans who probably would have stayed home, came out to vote for the amendment...and ended up voting for McCain while they were there.
Well, unless the Democrat dominated Florida Supreme Court finds a way to rule this out of the ballot, it looks like there will but a strong Republican turnout come November regardless of who is the nominee.
How can a “constitutional amendment” be unconstitutional? By definition it becomes part of the Constitution.
Well, he had to move to the left to be worthy to endorse John McCain.
We straight people have made marriage a disaster ourselves, I don’t see why gays want anything to do with it.
(Sorry, just venting because my brother is being sued by his recently-divorced ex-wife for alimony... Even though she has a Ph. D. and he has nothing more than a high school diploma. Thankfully, they did not have children.)
He did support that backstabber McCain, but just like Romney, Crist moved to the right to run for office. Most suspect he is closeted, and like Larry Craig, a Mark Foley type. Now that he is in office, he has been showing his lib colors. Both Gov. Crist and the Florida Pink and Lavender (Red & Blue) Committee can go sit on tacks.
They’ll be howling like crazy in November. Lord willing, at least for this amendment, I’ll be screaming hooray and praising the Lord at the top of my lungs.
Everywhere it is put to a vote, it passes by huge margins. That’s why the queers work so hard to keep it off the ballot.
Well until I see evidence that black candidates poll better than the votes they receive, I will still believe that to be the case.
As for the tired old story of Republicans voting for Dims every four years, at least there would be a possibility with Obama that there most certainly was not with Kerry.
Something is wrong with this picture. Florida Republicans supported John McCain AND defense of marriage. John McCain supports gay marriage.
prove it.
“This is a waste of time. If the voters pass it, the homosexual special interest crowd will find some bonehead “judge” somewhere who will declare it “unconstitutional.””
It’s not a waste of time at all. Even if such a judge is found, you’re declaring defeat before anything has happened. Also, it will be good for future people to know that the voters of Florida did this. It’s a statement of principle.
“Everywhere it is put to a vote, it passes by huge margins. That’s why the queers work so hard to keep it off the ballot.”
It didn’t pass in Arizona. I’m not sure what happened there.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.