Statement from Cathi Herrod Regarding Arizona Prop 107

From Cathi Herrod of Protect Marriage Arizona Coalition:

Today, we acknowledge that proposition 107 failed to pass on November 7.

The struggle to protect marriage between one man and one woman is far from over. Proposition 107’s defeat is but one skirmish in the battle to preserve and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. It’s a token win for the opposition.

Make no mistake: the defeat of proposition 107 had nothing to do with whether Arizonans believe same sex marriage should be legalized or not.

Arizona voters were bombarded with misinformation about Prop 107 by our opposition. We were outspent about 4 to 1.

Our opponents were able to focus the debate on what Proposition 107 was not about: benefits for unmarried individuals. Our opponents were able to scare seniors into believing they would lose their social security benefits if prop 107 passed. Our coalition simply did not have the funds to respond to opponents’ attacks and distortions about the true intent of Prop 107.

Additionally, our office received numerous calls and emails from voters confused by the yes and no vote descriptions on the ballot. Many who voted no actually intended to vote yes but were confused.

Proposition 107 did not “go too far” as some have alleged. Seventeen of twenty-seven states have passed marriage amendments very similar to Proposition 107, including five of the seven states adopting marriage amendments November 7.

This comprehensive approach to marriage amendments is necessary to protect not only the name of marriage but also the institution of marriage.

We remain convinced that Arizonans want marriage to remain defined as the union of one man and one woman. When you look at our country as a whole, it’s clear that Americans wants marriage defined as a man and a woman.

The facts remains that same sex marriage is illegal in Arizona. Passage of Proposition 107 would have stopped activists from using our courts to redefine marriage as we’ve witnessed in other states. In effect, Proposition 107 would have been an insurance policy for marriage against redefinition by the courts.

On behalf of the Protect Marriage Arizona Coalition, rest assured that we aren’t going anywhere. We will continue to work to preserve and protect marriage in Arizona.

We thank all the Arizonans who stood for marriage being defined in our state constitution as the union of one man and one woman.