Sound Politics Public Blog: Groups to 'out' those who sign petition against same-sex unions

June 01, 2009

Groups to 'out' those who sign petition against same-sex unions

Complete scum. Reduced to intimidation tactics that, were they turned on them, would result in massive whining and sniveling.

I intend to seek out this Referendum TO sign it. Anyone feeling like confronting me over it?

Please. Bring it on.

Groups to 'out' those who sign petition against same-sex unions

A group called WhoSigned.org says it will publicize the names of people signing petitions for Referendum 71, which seeks a public vote to overturn a new expansion of Washington's same-sex partnerships.

By The Associated Press

WhoSigned.org says it's partnering with the gay rights group KnowThyNeighbor.org to put the names online.

In a statement Monday, WhoSigned.org says it expects people who see the names online to contact the signers for what may be uncomfortable talks about gay rights.

Sponsors of Referendum 71 have until July 25 to collect about 121,000 signatures to make the fall ballot. The referendum seeks to overturn the latest expansion of the domestic partner law, which would give partners the same state rights as married couples.

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Posted by Hinton at June 01, 2009 02:27 PM | Email This

Comments

1. Now we see who the real fascists thugs are.

If anyone approaches me to "have a discussion," they better be civil in their approach and tone. Otherwise, as soon as I feel threatened or harrassed - they better watch out.

Posted by: Michael H on June 1, 2009 06:35 PM

2. I figured this was coming.

Posted by: Michele on June 1, 2009 08:28 PM

3. Just so, MH.

Posted by: Hinton on June 1, 2009 09:34 PM

4. What intimidation? If the petitioners get enough signatures to qualify Ref 71 for the ballot, the Secretary of State is mandated by law to make the names of the signers part of the public record. If you don't like that law, work to change it. Are you willing to accuse the Secretary of State of intimidation too?

You must remember that when it comes to a referendum or initiative, voters are taking on the roll of legislators. Legislators publicly support or oppose legislation. If "citizen legislators" are going to take on the responsibility of legislating, they need to also conduct the debate in public, not in secret.

Another benefit of making petition signers' names public if the referendum qualifies is to give voters the opportunity to check for petition fraud. It is a big problem, and the only way you know whether your name was stolen and erroneously placed on a petition is if you can see the list of signers.

Posted by: Lurleen on June 1, 2009 09:51 PM

5. I agree with Lurleen that being able to check for petition fraud is a good thing. It would help to counter fraudulent acts by the likes of known vote-fraud groups like ACORN.

Posted by: Michele on June 1, 2009 10:03 PM

6. ..though I think the harrassment groups' attempts to harrass people could well backfire and simply cause people to vote against them in November.

Posted by: Michele on June 1, 2009 10:59 PM

7. Lurleen, I was born on a Saturday... but not LAST Saturday.

The ENTIRE point of this is intimidation. That you fail to acknowledge that is disingenuous at best. Here, let me help you with that:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_domestic_partnerships.html

"The petition-listing effort also is not supported by the official campaign trying to keep R-71 off the ballot. Josh Friedes, campaign manager for Washington Families Standing Together, said the group had even asked Murphy not to proceed with his idea, believing the approach too confrontational."

Odd, isn't it, that you have no problem with this but the campaign trying to silence the people of this state (which is, after all, what you're working very hard to do) doesn't want this to happen.

Backlash, anyone?

Posted by: Hinton on June 1, 2009 11:06 PM

8. @5: Yet again, you peddle that myth. Never gets old, does it? Even when it's been proven false?

@6: Point? I have yet to see bombings or shootings associated with gay marriage activists. What precisely are you worried about? What do you think that they're going to do? And why exactly do you think that this is "silencing" folks when it is public information?

Posted by: demo kid on June 1, 2009 11:18 PM

9. Oct 30, 2007 Seattle Times: "Three of seven defendants in the biggest voter registration fraud scheme in Washington history have PLEADED GUILTY and one has been sentenced, prosecutors said Monday.
The defendants were all temporary employees of ACORN, the Associatoin of Community Organizations for Reform Now, when they allegedly filled out and sumitted more than 1,800 fictitious voter-registration cards during a 2006 registration drive in King and Pierce countties....King County elections workers brought the fraud to the attention of prosecutors last October, after noticing that signatures on many registration forms looked like they had been written by the same person."

Posted by: Michele on June 2, 2009 01:01 AM

10. Here's one where ACORN had the "fun" of telling on itself in the Milwaukee Journal aug. 7, 2008: "..deputy registrars paid by ACORN were 'making people up or registering people that were still in prison', said Carolyn Castore, ACORN'S state political director."
It's a good thing ACORN is hiring workers to help the census count!

Posted by: Michele on June 2, 2009 01:16 AM

11. ...hmmm, I wonder what the latest ACORN legal troubles are...

May 9th WSJ: "MORE ACORN VOTER FRAUD COMES TO LIGHT".."On Monday, Nevada officials charged Acorn, its regional director and its Las Vegas field director with submitting thousands of fraudulent voter registration forms last year. Larry Lomax, the registrar of voters in Las Vegas, says he believes "48 percent of Acorn's forms are 'clearly fraudulent'. On Thursday, Pittsburgh PA also charged seven ACORN employees with filing hundreds of fraudulent voter registrations before last year's general election.
Acorn spokesman Scott Levenson calls the Nevada criminal complaint 'political grandstanding' and says that any problems were the actions of an unnamed 'bad employee'. (note that Levenson admits an ACORN employee is to blame--my comment). But Catherine Cortez Masto, NEVADA'S DEMOCRATIC attorney general, told the Las Vegas Sun that Acorn itself is named in the criminal complaint. She says that Acorn's training manuals 'clearly detail, condone and...require illegal acts.' such as requiring its workers to meet strict voter-registration targets to keep their jobs.
Other DEMOCRATS on the ground have complaints. Fred Voight, deputy election commissioner in Philadelphia, protested after Acorn (according to the registrar of voters and his own investigation) submitted at least 1500 fraudulent registrations last fall. 'This has been going on for a number of years', he told CNN in October. St. Louis democrat Mathew Potter, the city's deputy elections director, had similar complaints."

Posted by: Michele on June 2, 2009 01:41 AM

12. @9-11: Yet again, all you're proving is that some folks want to get paid for getting their numbers up. Voter fraud, in terms of some grand conspiracy meant to alter an election, does not in fact exist, and has never been proven.

Posted by: demo kid on June 2, 2009 07:59 AM

13. So all initiatives are voter fraud - right ? Hmmm.. smells like Revisionist history again -dk.

What about your buddies from ACORN, that had a hand in getting The Bama elected and possibly winning a Senate seat for Al Franken - a mediocre comedian with all of those dead and fictitious people voting... They also helped get Gregoire elected Gov. here and Sharkansky documented the illegal vote phenomenon here and King Co. successfully stonewalled that evidence until after it mattered.

Posted by: KDS on June 6, 2009 11:59 AM