TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage will be on the November ballot in Florida because supporters gathered 92,000 extra petitions, or signatures, in about two weeks after learning a computer glitch had dropped the previous tally below the 611,009 petition requirement.
John Stemberger, state chairman of the Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage, was notified Feb. 1 by the director of the state Division of Elections that the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment was officially certified as Amendment 2 for the Nov. 4 general election ballot with a total of 649,346 valid signatures.
The marriage amendment was the only one of more than 50 active petition drives to qualify, according to The Associated Press.
“We are grateful to God first, and to our supporters second, for this amazing victory,” Stemberger said in a Feb. 1 statement. “What our people did was simply remarkable. They collected 92,000 petitions in about 13 days.” Noting that paid petition gatherers were not used, Stemberger said, “This is real proof for [grass roots] momentum for marriage as the union of one man and one woman in Florida.”
Eight percent of the total number of ballots cast in the last presidential election — 611,009 — is required for a ballot initiative to qualify. Additionally half of the state’s congressional districts — 13 of 25 — must reach the 8 percent threshold. The marriage amendment surpassed that requirement in 15 congressional districts.
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