Georgia

In response to Drew’s post.

We are extremely encouraged by last summer's vote! It's all based on the understanding of state politics in GA. Your analysis can't just be based upon a single data point.

The article should have been entitled "66% of Republicans (which included an estimated 20% of the state's Democrats) Supported Personhood". In Georgia anyone can appear at the polling place and select either a Democrat or Republican ballot REGARDLESS of their registered party affiliation. When a registered Democrat lives in a county that is overwhelmingly Republican they are entitled under GA law to select the Republican ballot so that they have a say in local county elections. In many counties the race for Sheriff or County Commission Chairman vies for top spot on the ballot even over many statewide races.

The Republicans in the GA legislature are only ONE House seat short of having a 66% majority in GA government. The majority Party is overwhelmingly Republican. A large portion of Democrats voted on the Personhood question when they pulled a Republican ballot. The Republican party estimated that it was as high as 20% of registered Dems in the state.

We only need 50% +1 to pass an Amendment. The question that needs to be determined is how many of the Dems do we need to pass the Amendment. We need to persuade only 20% of the Dems who voted on the Democrat ballot last July. In the 2010 primary, we actually had the question on Democrat ballots and the result was that rural Dems voted 72% in favor of the Amendment.

Yes it will be tough. But don't make the mistake of discounting the prolife benefit of a "non-binding vote". Last July's primary spoke volumes to our elected officials. It passed in 158 out of 159 counties. EVERY single politician saw that a majority of THEIR OWN constituents are not only pro-life, but strongly pro-Personhood. Our lobbying strength at the GA capitol for all things pro-life, just went through the "Gold Dome!"   

Contact: Suzanne Ward, Georgia Right to Life, 770-891-8320

NORCROSS, Ga., May 21, 2012 — Georgia Right to Life President Dan Becker today announced that Republican voters in all 159 GA counties will have the opportunity to approve granting “personhood” status to all human beings from their earliest biological beginning. The ballot question will appear on the July 31st Republican primary ballot.

“Of all the freedoms we hold sacred,” Becker said, “the right to life is paramount. It is the ultimate civil right granted to us by God—without this right all other rights are moot.”

While the resolution is non-binding, Becker said its approval would “send a clear message to all elected officials in the state that a majority of voters reject the current culture of death created by abortion on demand.”

Specifically, the question reads: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each innocent human being from his or her earliest biological beginning without regard to age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency?”

To become a law, the GA legislature would vote to place the Personhood question on the general election ballot in 2014 to be approved by Georgia’s voters.

“While abortion advocates like to claim the practice should be safe, legal and rare, the reality is that 56 million innocent lives have been sacrificed on the altar of choice since Roe v Wade in l973,” Becker said.”

Over 34,000 preborn children are killed annually in Georgia. Earlier this year, the Legislature approved, and Governor Nathan Deal signed, a law that prohibits abortions after a preborn is capable of feeling pain, which was set at 20 weeks.

“That was a significant step forward,” Becker said, noting that it will save an estimated 1,500 lives a year, “but now it’s time to completely end this holocaust in Georgia.”

Georgia Right to Life promotes respect and effective legal protection for all human life from its earliest biological beginning through natural death. GRTL is one of number of organizations that have adopted Personhood as the most effective pro-life strategy for the 21st century.

Georgia Voters say “Yes” to Personhood Amendment

Throughout the state yesterday, citizens had a chance to express their sentiment regarding the important policy question of when life begins and when it should be protected in law. Select metro counties throughout Georgia placed the following question on their respective ballots:

“Do you support an amendment to the Georgia State Constitution so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each
human being from their earliest biological beginning until natural death?”

The amendment passed overwhelmingly in all 46 counties. 323,474 total votes were cast and the average margin of voters approving the question was an amazing 81.1%!

Georgia Right to life chapters began work this spring in requesting that their local county parties place this non-binding “party” question on their local party ballots. Both Democrat and Republican parties were approached. Butts county was the only county to succeed in getting both parties to cooperate and approve the measure (Republicans 79% and the Democrats 72% . “There is no question that the people of Georgia would pass a Personhood Amendment” IF given the chance!”, says Dan Becker, President of Georgia Right to Life. “The ball is now in the Legislature’s hands to allow the people a voice on the most pressing human rights issue of the 21st century . . . deny them at your own peril.”

The passage of the question sends a strong message to our legislature that Georgia is pro-life and that its voters desire an opportunity to vote on the issue of when life begins. In 2011, GRTL will use the results of the ballot to lobby the Georgia Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the 2012 general election ballot. A super-majority of each chamber of the Georgia General Assembly is required to place the Personhood Amendment on the ballot. Once placed on the ballot, it would require a majority vote from the citizens of Georgia (50% plus 1 vote) for the item’s passage.

The following counties voted “YES” on the Personhood question on July 20, 2010:

Bacon, Banks, Bartow, Brantley, Bulloch, Burke, Butts (BOTH Republican and Democrat ballots), Carroll, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, Coffee, Colquitt, DeKalb, Dooly, Fannin, Fulton, Glynn, Gordon, Gwinnett, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jones, Lamar, Liberty, Lowndes, Murray, Muscogee, Paulding, Pickens, Pierce, Spalding, Thomas, Tift, Towns, Troup, Twigs, Union, Walker, Walton, Ware, Wilcox, and Worth.

(770) 667-3777 main
(678) 524-9504 cell