MARRIAGE AMENDMENT PETITION DRIVE SEEMS STALLED

A few days ago while strolling around the radio dial, I heard our local right-wing talker chatting with (I believe) the head of the Christian Coalition of Florida about the petition drive to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban gay marriage. Of course, he was touting how successful it was going and that it was promising that the initiative would make it on next November's ballot.

All does not seem quite as promising as he suggested, according to this story by Lakeland Ledger religion writer Cory McMullen.

With only three months remaining before the deadline, The Florida Marriage Protection Amendment (.pdf file) drive has only had nearly 102,000 names certified by the state Division of Elections...out of 611,009 required by February 1.

The counties with the highest number of signatures, according to the elections Web site:

Dade (Metro Miami) - 8602
Marion (Gainesville) - 7882
Hillsborough (Tampa) - 7305
Broward (Fort Lauderdale) - 6529
Polk (Lakeland/Winter Haven) - 6247
Orange (Orlando) - 5062

The proposed amendment was started by Lakeland First Baptist Church pastor Rev. Jay Dennis, and has been supported by a group of churches and faith-based organizations.

When asked about the reason for the slow progress, Orlando attorney and chairman of the organization Florida4Marriage.org John Stemberger stated he was not sure and refused to speculate.

Brian Winfield, communications director of the St. Petersburg-based gay rights group Equality Florida, has a different view citing "voter fatigue":

"Voters are getting tired of what most see as a meanspirited campaign against one segment of society...While attitudes continue to shift, a majority of Floridians do support some level of protection for same-sex couples."

While the state initiative seems to be faltering, the Federal Marriage Amendment seems to be back on track.

The Senate Subcommittee On The Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights plans to take a vote Wednesday to send the proposed amendment to the full Senate Judiciary Committee. Supporters are hoping that it will see a vote in both houses of Congress prior to next year's mid-term elections. Check out this excellent post by Mustang Bobby at his Coral Gables-based blog Bark Bark Woof Woof.