Family Council Estimates 1 in 5 Voters Saw Guide Ahead of Election

Arkansas Voter's Guide,

Last Tuesday was historic for a number of reasons. Republicans practically swept the election at every level in Arkansas. That’s a first for our state.

Arkansas also saw record voter turnouts, at least for recent history. We said it would be impressive if 800,000 voters came to the polls this year. It is estimated that more than 850,000 voted in this election. That’s incredible for a midterm!

The election was unique both in voter turnout and election results, but it was also unique in this: Family Council distributed enough Arkansas Voter’s Guides to reach at least 1 out of every 5 voters–and maybe many more than that!

We distributed nearly 175,000 printed copies of the Arkansas Voter’s Guide, and more than 11,500 people visited our online version of the guide at www.ArkansasVotersGuide.com.

Assuming everyone who requested a guide or visited our website was a voter, we distributed enough voter’s guides in print and online to reach 22% of the people who voted last week.

Even if some of the people who looked at our guide decided not to vote, many copies of the printed guide went to couples or groups of people–such as Sunday school classes–which means they were shared and used by more than one person. I would estimate each printed copy of the guide we distributed was used by anywhere from 1 to 3 people, at least. That means that while we distributed enough copies of the Arkansas Voter’s Guide in print and online to reach 22% of the voters, many more probably saw a copy of our guide. It is possible that as many as one-quarter or more of voters put the Arkansas Voter’s Guide to use this year.

Hats off to everyone who helped make that happen! To the people who donated money to fund the Arkansas Voter’s Guide this year; everyone who ordered copies of the guide for their friends and neighbors; and all the folks who passed the guide out at work, at church, or wherever, thank you! You helped us serve the people of Arkansas in a very real way.

I hope you will continue to follow the work of Family Council in the days to come. We plan to have some exciting announcements between now and the end of the year, so stay tuned. And be sure to follow us online at www.FamilyCouncil.org, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

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NC Judges Resign Rather Than Perform Same-Sex “Marriages”

Religious Freedom, , ,

At least half a dozen family court magistrates have resigned in North Carolina after being told they must solemnize same-sex “marriages.”

Magistrates John Kallam, Gilbert Breedlove, Bill Stevenson, Tommy Holland, Gayle Myrick, and Jeff Powell have all tendered their resignation. Bill Stevenson told NBC,

“It was something I had to do out of conscience. I felt like to perform same-sex unions would be in violation of the Lord’s commands, so I couldn’t do that.”

Last month Gilbert Breedlove told reporters,

“[Resigning] was my only option. We were directed we had to perform the marriages, and that was just something I couldn’t do because of my religious beliefs.”

It has been speculated that other judges in North Carolina have decided to retire or resign for similar reasons, although they have not publicly given an explanation. According to Christian News, some North Carolina magistrates have said they simply will refuse to perform same-sex weddings–which could lead to their dismissal or litigation.

When Massachusetts became the first state to recognize same-sex marriage in 2004, many did not believe redefining marriage could ever affect people of faith. Ten years later the consequences are becoming all too clear. More and more everyday citizens are finding themselves in the difficult position of either violating their conscience or violating the law.

We have said before that as Americans we have an obligation to respect each others’ conscience. No one should have to choose between their job and their religious convictions.

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Poll Shows Support for Same-Sex Marriage Dropping in Arkansas?

Marriage,

The 2014 Arkansas Poll was released yesterday with some interesting statistics. While many are focusing on the poll’s findings concerning candidates and political leaders, the poll’s survey questions regarding same-sex marriage are striking.

Comparing this year’s Arkansas Poll with last year’s, support for same-sex marriage in Arkansas appears to have dropped by 2%.

In 2013:

  • 23% of respondents said same-sex marriage ought to be legal.
  • 21% said gay couples should be able to form civil unions, but not marry.
  • 46% said there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.
  • 9% said they do not know or otherwise refused to answer the question.

This year:

  • 21% of respondents said same-sex marriage ought to be legal (a 2% decrease over 2013).
  • 21% said gay couples should be able to form civil unions, but not marry (no change over 2013).
  • 48% said there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship (a 2% increase over 2013).
  • 10% said they do not know or otherwise refused to answer the question(a 1% increase over 2013).

Now, before we say public opinion clearly is shifting against same-sex marriage in Arkansas, it’s important to note that the change is within the poll’s margin of error (3.6%). Statistically speaking, this demonstrates that attitudes on marriage in Arkansas remain where they were a year ago: The vast majority of Arkansans still oppose same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out this is the first time the Arkansas Poll has recorded a decrease in support for same-sex marriage since 2005.

What is also interesting to note is how support for same-sex civil unions in Arkansas has dropped over the years. In 2007, 27% of Arkansans favored civil unions. Today only about 21% support them.

It’s also worth pointing out the Human Rights Campaign is spending, on average, about $1 million annually in Arkansas this year and over the next 2-3 years in an effort to change Arkansans’ opinions on homosexuality and same-sex marriage. So far, however, opinions appear unmoved–if not sliding in favor of traditional marriage.

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