Polls in
California have been open for more than six hours, and in
areas of the state with dense LGBT populations, voters
are reportedly waiting three hours in line, and
their wait is getting longer.
In Los Angeles,
No on 8 is handing out flyers to potential voters urging
them to vote No on 8 because it's
"unfair" and "wrong" -
and because Barack Obama, Dianne Feinstein and Arnold
Schwarzenegger all oppose the proposition.
Nowhere on the
flyer does it say anything about the gay community. It
simply tells voters that it is "wrong to eliminate
fundamental rights."
Volunteers for No
on 8 are blanketing the city to get the word out. In
more traditionally conservative areas including San Diego
and the Central Valley, some are the only volunteers
in their area on hand to persuade people to vote
against the proposition.
In Los Angeles,
LA Gay and Lesbian Center CEO Lorri Jean received word
that a school principal was chasing No on 8 volunteers away
from poling places and ripping up No on 8 signs. LAPD
was called and sent a reminder to poling places that
No on 8 is allowed to have volunteers hand out
literature so long as they stayed more than 100 feet away
from the polls.
In Pico Rivera,
no official Yes on 8 people seem to be campaigning near
the polls... but a few people are lingering near poling
places "damning" gay souls and yelling
religious rhetoric at voters (below). According to
reports from the scene, about 20-percent of voters are
uninformed on Prop. 8.
San Diego, a
hotbed of controversy surrounding Proposition 8, continues
to be divided over the issue of gay marriage. Qualcomm
Stadium was one-third filled over the weekend with
people praying that Prop. 8 would pass. Just a mile
away, at the same time, some 6,000 people held a
candlelight vigil in support of same-sex marriage.
On the outskirts
of the city, front lawns are filled with Yes on 8 signs.
According to the
San Diego Union-Tribune, throughout the
city, polling places are reporting that Yes on 8 people
have come within 100-feet of poling places.
Stephanie Colter,
a teacher from Bay Park, told the Tribune Yes on
8 signs were placed outside her poling place at the
First Baptist Church in Bay Park -- right next to the
signs directing voters inside.
"They're
all over the parking lot," Colter said. "I'm
really upset. They shouldn't be a polling place if
they want to do that."
The look is
similar just an hour north in Orange County, which is
expected to play host to a Yes on 8 victory party should the
proposition pass.
Expectedly, in
West Hollywood, where the bulk of the No on 8 efforts have
taken place, the scene is encouraging.
At LA's
Gay and Lesbian Center, volunteers are crammed into the
"war room." The campaign is dispatching
volunteers all over Southern California and fielding
reports of any problems from poling places. According
to Center Public Affairs Officer Jim Key, more than 3,200
volunteers are on the ground around the state.
Around the city,
Yes on 8 signs are nowhere to be seen and though lines
are long, people are waiting.
"If it
were just the presidency, I'd probably leave,"
one voter told Advocate.com. "But because of
Prop. 8, I have to stay -- it's too important.
My boss can wait." (Ross von Metzke, The
Advocate)
