Results tagged “boee”

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics today rejected an initiative petition on the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. The petition was filed by an anti-same-sex marriage coalition led by Bishop Harry Jackson.

The D.C. Council voted today to give preliminary approval to a bill that would allow District of Columbia voters to cast early ballots and to register and vote on Election Day. The Post has more on the story.

Apparently we don't rate the press distribution list of quixotic anti-same-sex marriage obsessive Bishop Harry Jackson, as we had to find out from D.C. Wire today that he has put out a new statement about his intentions of trying to get a gay marriage initiative on the ballot for a second time. This time around, Jackson is reportedly going for the full monty: an initiative that would give District residents the opportunity to vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the District. Previously, the Maryland minister tried to put the question of whether the District should recognize same-sex marriages performed legally elsewhere up for a popular vote, but the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled that he could not. Who wants to bet the board won't see much of a difference between this request and the previous one?

We knew to expect it, and now D.C. Wire is reporting that Bishop Harry Jackson, Rev. Walter Fauntroy, and their collective of gay marriage opponents did indeed file papers at D.C. Superior Court this morning to appeal the recent BOEE ruling that a city-wide referendum on same sex marriage recognition would violate the Human Rights Act, and is therefore not allowed. 'In a statement, Fauntroy called the election board's decision, ''an insult to every voter in the District of Columbia and must be legally challenged as we are doing today.''' Unless the court intervenes, the marriage recognition law recently passed by the D.C. Council will become law in July.

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled today that a District-wide referendum on whether or not the city should recognize same sex marriages performed elsewhere is not allowed, City Desk is reporting. The decision appears to have been based on whether or not such a referendum would violate the Human Rights Act by permitting discrimination based on sexual orientation. "Because the Referendum would authorize discrimination prohibited by the HRA, it is not a proper subject for referendum, and may not be accepted by the Board," is the quote from the ruling.