Amendment One—Know Before You Vote Tuesday

If you read my blogs or other writings that have to deal with politics, elections, and/or voting, you might realize that I don't ever try to tell you what side of the issue you should be on, or who or what you should vote for. My only objective is that you are informed. Voting is a constitutional right that we're all fortunate to have in this country--something that wasn't always the case. But you shouldn't simply be motivated to show up at the polls; you should be inspired to read up on the issues before you go.

The North Carolina primary is tomorrow (Tuesday, May 8). President Barack Obama is the incumbent president on the Democratic side; Mitt Romney is the presumptive presidential nominee on the Republican side, with his main opponents having dropped out of the race. So many of you who only get drawn to the polls for presidential elections, might be tuning out Tuesday's event. That would be a big mistake. If you're a Mecklenburg County resident, a visit to www.meckboe.org will give you plenty of info on what you should know, including this list of Charlotte, Mecklenburg, and statewide candidates in your district who are on tomorrow's ballot.

I've received several candidates' campaign mailers over the last couple of weeks.

Do you know who you're voting for in the races for North Carolina Senate or House of Representatives? Or for Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners? Remember, this is a primary so you can't vote straight-party ticket--you're voting to decide which candidates are going to represent your party in the November general elections.

And then there's North Carolina Senate Bill 514, better known as Amendment One, which I'm sure you've heard of. This piece of legislation, on the May 8 ballot, is a proposed bill to amend the North Carolina Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, which would, in effect, ban same-sex marriage. That issue has garnered nationwide media coverage for the state over the last few months, especially over the last couple of weeks, as North Carolina becomes the latest state to put it to a vote.

On the April 30 episode of 282, we dedicated the majority of the show to discussing Amendment One and the May 8 primary. We featured a great panel who talked about all of the ramifications of the bill. One guest, a black female, opposes Amendment One, saying it would do unnecessary harm to families, including unmarried heterosexual couples with children as well as senior citizens. Another guest, a university professor, is also against Amendment One and he discussed it from an academic and civil rights standpoint. And then our third guest, a white male gay conservative, is in favor of Amendment One, saying that he believes marriage is between one man, one woman, and God. Yes, he's gay, and he said he's in favor of civil unions for same-sex couples like himself and his partner, but not marriage.

Do yourself a favor and watch this episode of 282.