Blogtown, PDX

Monday, October 8, 2007

Homo “They Didn’t Make It”

Posted by Amy J. Ruiz on Mon, Oct 8 at 3:18 PM

That’s the word via Basic Rights Oregon on the two referenda petitions aimed at sending new gay rights laws to the ballot: They didn’t have enough signatures, a surprise to exactly no one but David Crowe, who spent the weekend praying that “God’s Name will be honored and exalted through our two petition drives to preserve marriage and morality in Oregon.”

No word on the official tally, but I’m assuming the petitions didn’t get the over 90 percent validity they needed to make it to the polls. I’ve got a call in to the secretary of state’s office for more details… stay tuned!

UPDATE:

For starters, this is the info on petition 303 (the one to send domestic partnerships to the ballot). Petition #304, on non-discrimination, is still in the verification process.

Moving on: Holy crap! The petitioners did far better than I expected, pulling in a 90.96 percent validity rate, a new record (over Measure 36’s 86 percent rate). Which means, of the 60,531 unverified signatures they turned in, only 55,063 were valid—just 116 short of the 55,179 required to make the ballot. (Petition 304 had slightly fewer unverified signatures, so if it nabs the same validity rate, it’s not on the ballot either.)

Damn, that’s close. Can the petitioners appeal? Nope, they have to go to court if they’re unhappy. “They can sue us if they like,” explains the secretary of state’s Carla Corbin.

I’ve left a voicemail with the anti-gay campaign’s Marylin Shannon, asking if they plan to sue, or get going on a repeal effort (the laws would go into effect first). I do not expect her to call back. She apparently hung up on Just Out.

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Comments

YES!! Me and my life partner can live freely, for the moment, in pure XTC!!

Posted by DO N DUDES | October 8, 2007 3:24 PM

I guess God doesn't really care after all.

Posted by Scott Moore | October 8, 2007 3:28 PM

I was always curious whether the percentages you were citing were validity rates compared to all the signatures turned in (in this case, about 63,000, making the validity rate about 87%) or compared only to those officially counted by SOS. I figured you knew what you were talking about, though.

Posted by James X. | October 8, 2007 4:02 PM

oh hell yeah. I am so ready for my second- class-and-not-even-close-to-marriage-rights. But really, I am thrilled. And these petitioners really need to get a life. Aren't there some kittens somewhere that need kicking?

Posted by witchtrivets | October 8, 2007 4:02 PM

I'll bet where you'll actually find God is in the details of how close they came, and not any of their petitions.

Posted by Samuel John Klein | October 8, 2007 4:04 PM

I was always curious whether the percentages you were citing were validity rates compared to all the signatures turned in (in this case, about 63,000, making the validity rate about 87%) or compared only to those officially counted by SOS.

The ones I was citing and calculating averages of were the validity rates based on the SOS's raw tally—so not the 63,000, which is what the petitioners claimed, but wasn't ever an official number.

Posted by Amy J. Ruiz | October 8, 2007 4:15 PM

Crap. I guess it's time for my wife and I to get divorced now that our marriage has been... damn it, how exactly is this supposed to affect my marriage again?

Posted by Dan B | October 8, 2007 4:39 PM

Thanks for the update Amy. I want to feel happy but a part of me is still sad that the Haters wanted to challenge these bills in the first place.

I agree with Witchtrivets, they should go pick on some sick or small children or something. Oh wait, Bush already did that last week!

I have it on good authority that God actually wants me to be able to be with my wife if she is sick, and He also really wants me to be able to receive her health benefits. So I guess His will was done after all!

Posted by Recovering Straight Girl | October 8, 2007 4:52 PM

Poor bigots. I guess there weren't enough fellow bigots willing to sign their name to their official bigot registry after all.

(Okay, still too many of them, but whatever.)

Posted by b!X | October 8, 2007 4:54 PM

"I lost so I'm going to hang up on you!"

Oh how I love the other side. Remember: love the sinners, hate the sin.

Posted by Lelo | October 8, 2007 5:03 PM

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