Prop 8 - What Happened- Who's To Blame?

Discussion
1

Dear All;

This article from the SF Chronicle expands on why Prop 8 won. It makes for very interesting reading and the results of the black votes and the denigration of the black vote ignoring cultural and religious factors. As well as ignoring the Catholic and Evangelical and other related reasons why Prop. 8 was voted yes.

Personally I know blacks with gay friends who have been friends for years including parties in each others homes and going out together and the blacks had serious problems with the marriage thing. It went against their grain. Civil union would be okay but marriage was way too much information.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/15/MN5R1435T4.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

http://snipurl.com/5lcbz [www_sfgate_com]

Another point of contention is the voter turnout. In San Francisco 477,651 people were registered to vote and 253,486 voted a 53% turnout. This with it being a presidential election and numerous SF and State ballot issues which should have pulled people out of their cocoons.

In LA the figures were better. Registration was 4.1 million and 3 milllion ballots cast at 74.5 %.

Whether or not the extra votes would have made the difference is a moot point but in SF with 200,000 votes not cast - if of course there was a 100% voter turn out or in LA the additional 1 million votes could have made a difference. Possibly maybe yes.

Statewide 17.3 million were registered out of 23 million eligible with 12.2 million casting votes or 70% statewide voter turnout. The presidential vote total was 12 million which denotes a very tiny drop off. Prop 8 got 11.96 million. with 500,000 votes separating the yes vs. no also impact wise a tiny drop off.

In all likelihod the California State Supreme Court will take up the issue. Whether or not they will consider this a revison of the state constitution and enjoin the enactment of Prop. 8 as unconstitutional remains to be seen. Revision of state constitution requires a 2/3 vote in both assembly and senate and then to the people for their vote. Obviously this did not take place.

Ron Getty - SF Libertarian
Hostis res Publica
Morte ai Tiranni
Dum Spiro, Pugno

2

Dear Ron,

I understand the point about the State Supreme Court maybe taking up
the case to decide on its constitutionality, presumably based on equal
rights clauses. However, I do not understand the comment that the
Legislature needs to approve by 2/3 vote. The way I read Article 18,
Section 3 of the CA Constitution, the initiative process is one way to
amend, independent of Sections 1 and 2 that provide for the
Legislative route.

Marcy

Dear All;

This article from the SF Chronicle expands on why Prop 8 won. It

makes for very interesting reading and the results of the black votes
and the denigration of the black vote ignoring cultural and religious
factors. As well as ignoring the Catholic and Evangelical and other
related reasons why Prop. 8 was voted yes.

Personally I know blacks with gay friends who have been friends for

years including parties in each others homes and going out together
and the blacks had serious problems with the marriage thing. It went
against their grain. Civil union would be okay but marriage was way
too much information.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/15/MN5R1435T4.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

http://snipurl.com/5lcbz [www_sfgate_com]

Another point of contention is the voter turnout. In San Francisco

477,651 people were registered to vote and 253,486 voted a 53%
turnout. This with it being a presidential election and numerous SF
and State ballot issues which should have pulled people out of their
cocoons.

In LA the figures were better. Registration was 4.1 million and 3

milllion ballots cast at 74.5 %.

Whether or not the extra votes would have made the difference is a

moot point but in SF with 200,000 votes not cast - if of course there
was a 100% voter turn out or in LA the additional 1 million votes
could have made a difference. Possibly maybe yes.

Statewide 17.3 million were registered out of 23 million eligible

with 12.2 million casting votes or 70% statewide voter turnout. The
presidential vote total was 12 million which denotes a very tiny drop
off. Prop 8 got 11.96 million. with 500,000 votes separating the yes
vs. no also impact wise a tiny drop off.

In all likelihod the California State Supreme Court will take up the

issue. Whether or not they will consider this a revison of the state
constitution and enjoin the enactment of Prop. 8 as unconstitutional
remains to be seen. Revision of state constitution requires a 2/3 vote
in both assembly and senate and then to the people for their vote.
Obviously this did not take place.