We have had a number of people contact us stating that they are confused about the deadline — saying that they had heard one date; then another; then something different. Some people have asked why we keep “Changing the Deadline” ?
Here is, for everyone, an explantion of our deadline & the different dates that you may or may not have heard :
There have been at least 4 dates published or mentioned for the deadline. . .
1) The legal deadline is & has always been Feb 13. After Feb 13 we are dead in the water. Not only will no signatures count after that date, but we will have to wait at least a year before trying again. (or even starting the process)
2) The Oct 1 deadline was self imposed & promoted because we needed to have the signatures to the Sec of State & certified by either the 3rd or 4th of Oct to have any hope of getting the amendment on the ballot next year (2010). Anything after this date, would put make us be on the ballot in 2011. We had strategic reasons for wanting to be on the ballot next year instead of 2011, but our main reason was that we didn’t find another year of child killing acceptable.
3) As far as the other deadline, I have actually heard of at least two more myself. Dec. 31 & Nov 15.
Dec 31 was a date that some folks in the logistical end came up with because it would give us a whole month to get the 100,000 or so signatures counted, organized and certified. We also hoped that if we had all the signatures by Jan we could give the legislature the opportunity to either: a) enact a personhood amendment themselves; or b) go ahead & put it on the ballot for next year. And if they didn’t we could still turn in the signatures in Feb
(We have some precident for this hope. In 2001 the signatures were gathered to put the “Flag” question on the next general election ballot — 2002 or 2003 — but the legislature wanted to get this hot potato off the table so they voted to have the people vote on it in April 2001)
As to the Nov 15 deadline, I’m not sure where that originated (?). Several people have told me they heard it on the radio. I’m not sure, but my guess would be that some of the Christian radio stations that were promoting it (or some of the folks that were working with them) just pushed the date out when they learned that we didn’t make it and wanted people to keep pushing . . . Not sure.
Make sense ? Does this help ? Feel free to email me back or call
