Gay Rights Vote Drove Kalamazoo Turnout

Reports from Kalamazoo, Mich., suggest that a nondiscrimination ordinance to protect the rights of LGBT people drove high voter turnout on Tuesday.

The nondiscrimination ordinance passed by a vote of 7,671 to 4,731, and appeared to draw the most voters for a Kalamazoo city election since tracking began 16 years ago, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

"Tuesday's ballot that included an ordinance providing discrimination protections to gays, lesbians and transgender individuals in matters of jobs, housing and public accommodations drew 12,699 voters," the Kalamazoo Gazette reported. "That's the most to turn out for a city-only election since Kalamazoo began tracking total votes cast in 1993."