Media Report on the Waning Power of Divisive Ballot Measures

This November, voters in various states will not only be voting for president; they may also be voting for ballot initiatives that seek to prevent marriage for gay and lesbian couples or adoption by gay families.  However, as the Associated Press reports, such ballot measures are failing to gain as much traction as they had in the 2004 and 2006 elections.  At least five proposed initiatives have not received sufficient signatures to be placed on the November ballot.  And, though Florida will have an initiative to prohibit marriage for gay and lesbian residents on its ballot and similar measures may still be placed on the Arizona and California ballots, the AP notes that political experts believe these efforts will not be as successful in 2008. “The right wing is organizing around the same old bag of tricks on social issues, but I don’t think that they’ll deliver as much as they expect,” said Kristina Wilfore of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. 

The AP article illustrates how media coverage of these ballot initiatives has changed substantially since the 2004 and 2006 elections. Rather than play up the idea of a “culture war,” journalists are reporting on the reality that in 2008, many people across the country are not supporting divisive ballot initiatives that prevent Americans from being able to take care of and protect their families.