500,000 Signatures To Overturn Gay Marriage Ban
(Lansing, Michigan) A conservative action group Monday submitted nearly 500,000 signatures on a petition to get a proposed amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage placed on the November ballot.
Under Michigan law any citizen group which collects 317,000 valid signatures from registered voters can have an issue put to voters.
Citizens for the Protection of Marriage turned in boxes containing the signatures to the Secretary of State who must verify the signatures.
If voters adopt the measure it would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman, under the Michigan Constitution. Gay marriage is banned in Michigan, but opponents say they fear the legislature or judges could overturn the law.
"The people responded,'' said Marlene Elwell, president of Citizens for the Protection of Marriage. "They're tired of politicians and activist judges making changes without having a voice. This gives them a voice.''
The Coalition for a Fair Michigan, a group supporting same-sex marriage said Monday it would consider legal action to try and keep the proposal off the ballot.
The Coalition said the proposed amendment would not only ban gay marriage but would also end domestic partner benefits at public institutions such as the city of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
We are prepared to mount and run a winning statewide campaign, and are confident that a majority of Michiganders will choose to vote against this divisive and extreme amendment on November 2nd ,” said Wendy Howell, the group's Campaign Manager.
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/07/070604michBan.htm
Damn thats a whole lotta people wanting to have the law changed :eek:
Regards,
Lee
