CA people: When is the next opportunity for a ballot proposition?

[TheWraith]

Is it going to be this November, or does it have to wait for next year?

Let's channel the anger into something useful.

[tekisui]

1. They can get a ballot measure by 2010.

[ronnykmarshall]

24. and fuck it up.....

Sorry but after dealing with the No on 8 people I have no faith they can pull this off.

[Tektonik]

2. I think strategically it should wait until next year,

but we should not have to wait :mad:

[TheWraith]

5. I would think the opposite, actually.

The sooner the better, capitalizing on the Prop 8 backlash and the positive turn in public opinion. But if it can't be done until next year, then that's just how it is.

[WillParkinson]

3. It really doesn't matter...

Even if they get it to ballot, and even if it passes, the other side will try again.

Our rights will always be up for vote and for public opinion.

[TheWraith]

4. Not really. By the time it was possible for them to rally, they'd be too small of a minority. nt

[WillParkinson]

6. The Mormon's will bus people in...

And even losing does not mean they'll never stop trying to instill their hatred.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. That is the part that galls me.

[frazzled]

Which is why such an issue (if any issue at all) should NOT be decided by ballot initiatives

Civil rights is not something that people get to vote on. I am convinced a new ballot initiative in CA in support of equal marriage rights could pass handily. But you're right: then another ballot initiative could overturn it.

This is why the Supreme Court decision in CA is so disappointing and wrong. The public whim is not to be held sacrosanct.

I am opposed to ballot initiatives in general: there is precious little that needs to be passed in this way. More ballot initiatives have done harm than good, and they tie the hands of duly elected legislators and executives. We have a representative democracy in which we elect legislators to pass laws. We have courts that can rule on the legal status of such legislation. Direct democracy does not work very well. We are seeing that in action.

Have a ballot initiative to end ballot initiatives in California. (Then maybe you could raise property taxes there, too, and the state wouldn't be going bust.)

[kestrel91316]

12. It shouldn't have to be decided by ballot. But for now that's the way it is.

To me it's as basic as abortion rights, the right to obtain an education, the right to assembly freely with whomever we choose. But it's not there in stone yet.

I believe I will live to see the day when gays have full legal rights in the entire nation.

[TheWraith]

15. Blame CA's stupid system, which allows constitutional amendments by 50% plus one.

No, it shouldn't be handled by ballot measures, but that's the way life goes sometimes.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[billyoc]

13. Always is a long time. The mormons will run out of money before we run out of voters.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

20. You sure about that? They and the fundies are really busy breeders

[billyoc]

21. Yes. I am sure about that. Their offspring tend to turn out to be quite dissapointing to them.

[Maat]

8. I'm beginning to gather signatures to repeal it now.

Please go to YesOnEquality.com - we will repeal this monstrosity.

[kestrel91316]

9. Time to get this back on the ballot EVERY SINGLE ELECTION until

marriage equality is once again the law in CA. Time is on our side, because conservatives are dying off and younger voters are MUCH more liberal with respect to gay rights.

And I say "our" because this fight matters to many straights who have friends and neighbors and family in the gay community who, like me, want FULL equality for gays.

It's a sad day for most, but I am very happy for my friends Larry and Greg.

[TheWraith]

10. Frankly I think only one election is going to be needed. nt

[livefreest]

11. REMEMBER TO RECOMMEND

justice for all ASAP. where do i donate?

[TheWraith]

16. Thank you. http://www.yesonequality.com/

[NYC_SKP]

14. Recommended. n/t

[izzybeans]

18. K and R

[readmoreoften]

19. Really. That's our option. To try to outspend and out-rhetoric bigots who violently disrupt our

lives? What a system.

If this is our strategy, then what we're really doing is waiting to mobilize the Millennial Generation so we'll have a majority against the bigots. It's like "sitting back and waiting" but in the meanwhile spending a lot of time and money to struggle with a corrupt system.

[keepCAblue]

25. It's the only option Obama and the cowards in Congress are giving us...

...If Obama and our federal legislators weren't such cowards, hypocrites and vote whores we wouldn't have to choose such a despicable recourse -- there should be a federal mandate guaranteeing our civil rights just as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did for black Americans.

[ruggerson]

22. 2010. DEFINITELY NOT 2012.

[t0dd]

23. Question

Are there any other states that might put marriage equality on the ballot in 2010? It'd be nice to have referendums in Washington and Oregon next year too, and we could achieve marriage equality along the entire West Coast. Not to mention have overlapping campaigns and what not.

[TheWraith]

26. In terms of a direct referendum, I don't know of any others.

Minnesota, Rhode Island, and New Jersey, are all considering it but to my knowledge those are all legislative efforts, not direct ballot items.

My own state of New York sort-of has a de facto gay marriage issue on the ballot by virtue of the fact that there's a strong push in the legislature, but we're a few votes shy in the State Senate. Electing more Democrats would help get it done. (Yes, this is a shameless push to get the netroots to help fund our State Senate candidates.)