Media Quiet on Possible Ballot Initiatives

In the last presidential election, the media often portrayed issues related to equality for the LGBT community as “wedge issues” in states all around the country.  Largely due to the work of anti-gay groups, bans for marriage for gay and lesbian couples were put on the ballot in 11 states in 2004: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah. All 11 ballot initiatives passed, and many claimed the Ohio marriage ban motivated conservative voters to go the polls, stating the ballot initiative played a key role in the re-election of President George W. Bush.

This presidential election season, media are again exploring the role of LGBT issues on the presidential race. The first anti-gay initiative to officially get on the ballot this year is a ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Florida. Other states have anti-gay initiatives making their way to the ballot as well, but media coverage of these issues has been more limited, as these initiatives are not officially on the ballot in their respective states:

• Anti-gay activists are in the midst of placing an initiative on the Arkansas ballot that would ban unmarried couples from adopting a child or serving as foster parents. 

• Anti-gay activists in California are collecting signatures to place a marriage ban on November’s ballot.

• The Arizona Republic recently reported that almost half of Arizona’s residents support Arizona’s proposed marriage ban. However, The Tucson Citizen has come out against the proposed ban in a recent editorial: “We urge legislators to scuttle this proposal, with haste.”

• Anti-gay activists in Oregon are also busy collecting signatures—but in this case, for the reversal of the newly-enacted domestic partnership registry. Anti-gay activists as well as advocates for fairness who support domestic partnerships have been getting their voices out in the media. 

Currently, the Florida initiative is the only one on the ballot, but the others may make it there by November. Check back here at Between the Lines for updates on ballot initiatives and how media cover them.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy