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(Tallahassee, Florida) A group collecting
signatures for a proposed amendment to Florida's constitution to ban same-sex
marriage has failed according to the Associated Press.
State records at 5 p.m., the deadline for turning
in the signatures, showed that the group had turned in about 446,000 signatures,
well short of the 611,009 needed, but the totals were unofficial.
Florida4Marriage conceded that
it was likely to fall short the AP reports.
Officials at the state Division
of Elections likely wouldn't be able to say with certainty
Wednesday night whether the group had turned in enough
signatures, because they had to be verified, a division
spokeswoman said.
The deadline for turning in the
petitions to local clerks was today.
Despite being short
Florida4Marriage dispatched three planes around Florida to
deliver petitions to couriers, who then drove the signed
petitions to various counties to be counted.
Even those petitions delivered
to clerks may not even get counted. Clerks say they
already are deluged with work
Part of the problem said
Florida-4-Marriage campaign chair John Stemberger is the
deadline by which the petitions must be in. February 1 is
earlier than in previous years, thanks to a measure pushed by
state Republicans.
Ironically it is the GOP that
wants to see the amendment put to voters.
The party has been the
campaign's biggest sponsor. Last month an investigation
by the St. Petersburg Times into funding for
Florida4Marriage has found that of the $193,000 that has been
raised by the group $150,000 came from a single donor - the
Florida Republican Party. (story)
Yet Gov. Jeb Bush, the titular
head of the party, publicly said in 2004 that he is opposed to
an amendment (story) and
a spokesperson for the Governor said Bush was not aware of the
donation.
If Florida-4-Marriage fails to
get the measure on the November ballot it would make Florida
the second state where a proposed amendment banning gay
marriage has failed.
In California one group
attempting to put a proposed amendment banning gay marriage
before California voters failed to submit the signatures
required for the June 2006 ballot but said it is working to
see the issue put to voters in November. A second group
is also trying get its version on the fall ballot but concedes
it too is having trouble collecting signatures. (story)
Voters this year will be asked
to approve proposed amendments limiting marriage to opposite
sex-couples in Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, South
Dakota and Tennessee.
©365Gay.com 2006
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