Today's the primary in North Carolina, and it's also the day people are voting for or against Amendment 1 in the state. The amendment says that the "only domestic legal union" that would be "valid or recognized" in North Carolina is marriage between a man and a woman. The ballots say for/against, not yes/no as I previously reported. An "against" vote is a vote against adding that anti-gay language, and a "for" vote is a vote for adding it into the state constitution and eliminating existing domestic partnerships for gay and straight couples, and erasing the possibility of civil unions or marriage equality in the future. Importantly, North Carolina law already bans marriage equality, so this amendment is unnecessary to accomplish that goal.
In short, it's "just an act of meanness."
Over at Prop 8 Trial Tracker, we will be providing coverage throughout the day and the rest of the night after the polls close. The P8TT/Courage team is on the ground in North Carolina.
We will have updates on reports of turnout and other news, and maybe even stories about the awesome and inspiring GOTV efforts Courage, Protect All NC Families and others have participated in this week.
And when the polls close at 7:30PM EST, two of our team members will be standing by in NC, bringing us quick information we'll get up at Prop 8 Trial Tracker as soon as we can.
So come over to our place to keep up with the goings on in North Carolina over Amendment 1. From what I've heard so far, the early voting electorate is a lot different from what the polling models looked at. We will see if this translates into a surprise win for our side by the end of the night.
In the meantime, there's still time to GOTV. Call people in the state. Text/tweet/send Facebook messages to people in the state, or to people who know people in the state. If you're there, offer to drive folks to the polls. Contact Protect All NC Families at their offices across the state to participate in GOTV efforts.
Everyone remembers Proposition 8 and so many of us feel like we could have done more to defeat it. It's important to keep going until the polls close and we can't do anymore. Before then, anything can happen. Anyone can vote against the amendment. Any voter, whether a likely or unlikely voter in a primary, can be persuaded. Today, daytime, is not the end of our fight in North Carolina, and no one should treat it as such.
There's more work to do. Come over to Prop 8 Trial Tracker for the latest.
IMPORTANT: If anyone in the state is experiencing any problems with voting or with ballots or anything else, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE immediately and report it.
This is important because, as Adam Bink says:
Also, we are getting reports across our base areas against A1 (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carrboro) that people are being handed ballots intended for 17-year-olds who can vote on CANDIDATES but cannot vote on Amendment 1. That means they are not having their opportunity to vote against Amendment 1. Many people are not taking the time to correct this and vote anyway. If you experience this or hear of it, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. The campaign is working to correct this at precincts across the Triangle but need help.
For people who are not in North Carolina but still want to help, you can still help; here's a letter from Courage Campaign that went out this morning:
Dear [ ]:
This is it: Election Day on anti-gay Amendment 1 in North Carolina. It's all hands on deck, and even Pres. Clinton has recorded phone calls to get out the vote. Will you pick up the phone and remind opponents of Amendment 1 in North Carolina to go to the polls?
Adam, I'm on the ground in Raleigh with other Courage staff and volunteers, and the field director just handed me a list of 38,783 Amendment 1 opponents that the campaign has not been able to remind to vote. Let's plow through this list and help put the campaign over the top! Please, take two hours, an hour, or even thirty minutes right now to pick up the phone and remind our supporters in North Carolina to vote against Amendment 1. This is too important to sit on the sidelines. Here's everything you need:
Call Out the Vote "CallFire" Training
Defeat Amendment One Talking Points
Out-of-state Script
Calling tool info:
callfire.com
Campaign ID (Enter in upper right corner "Agents Login") -- NEW CODE: 5235023
Passcode -- cpncf
If you have friends who want to get involved, hit the "Forward" button and send them this e-mail! It contains everything they'll need to make calls.
If you have any questions please email Anthony@couragecampaign.org.
Thank you again for helping keep discrimination out of North Carolina's constitution.
Caitlin Alesio Maloney
Data Director, Courage Campaign
PS: For real-time election results tonight, visit Courage Campaign Institute's Prop8TrialTracker.com. Polls close at 7:30 PM EST.
Less than 12 hours to go!
What you can do to help defeat Amendment One:
- Sign up to help get out the vote in NC yourself! Courage Campaign is arranging out-of-state caravans and travel assistance is available.
- Contribute to the campaign on ActBlue so they have the resources they need to get our message out.
- Volunteer to Call for Equality—a national, virtual GOTV phone banking effort against Amendment 1.
- Sign up for a Courageous Conversation about Amendment One with someone you know in North Carolina.