10/29/2012

Washington– With a tight race to reelect the most pro-LGBT president in American history, the opportunity to elect the first openly LGBT member of the U.S. Senate, four marriage-related ballot measures, and numerous federal and state races with real and direct importance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, the Human Rights Campaign has embarked on the largest voter mobilization effort in the organization’s history.  With 2012 the year of marriage, this year’s election is a tipping point in the movement for full equality under the law.

“At no time in history has LGBT equality been more important in an election season,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Pro-equality candidates, including President Obama and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin are making history and we will put them over the top.  We’re doubling down our efforts in races at all levels across the country to make sure equality – and in particular marriage equality – wins at the ballot box.”

 Key priorities:

• Re-electing the most pro-LGBT President in American history, Barack Obama
• Electing the first openly-LGBT member of the U.S. Senate, Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.)
• Electing other fair-minded Senators including Shelley Berkley (Nev.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Tim Kaine (Va.), Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.)
• Electing more openly LGBT members of Congress
• Electing fair-minded state legislators in places like Colorado, Delaware, Illinois and Minnesota, where pro-equality legislation could be voted on next year
• Electing Maggie Hassan to the New Hampshire Governor’s office to beat back attempts to repeal marriage equality there
• Winning marriage equality victories at the ballot box in Maryland, Maine, and Washington, and defeating a constitutional ban on marriage equality in Minnesota

HRC’s work and GOTV activities are detailed at the Election Center at www.hrc.org/election.  Activities include:

• By Election Day, HRC will have invested $8 million in efforts to expand marriage equality over the past two years, including $5 million in the four ballot measure states
• 70 staff members on the ground assisting the ballot measure campaigns and many of their 233 HRC-endorsed candidates
• PAC contributions of more than $1 million to endorsed candidates across the country
• Members and supporters across the country volunteering directly on priority campaigns
• HRC President Chad Griffin on a six-state Get Out the Vote tour to activate HRC’s more than one million members and supporters to vote and get their friends and family to vote
• GOTV outreach to more than 75 college campuses across the country including literature, voter registration information, etc.
• Social media outreach including partnership with Rock the Vote on Facebook voter registration and National Coming Out Day “Come Out and Vote” theme
•  Sending more than 15 million emails out to mobilize voters
• GOTV phone calls to LGBT people and allies with targeted messages in races around the nation
• Call4Equality, a tool that allows our members and supporters to directly call their Facebook friends in marriage ballot measure states and urge them to vote
• Weekly phone banks at Washington headquarters for campaigns across the country
• Telephone town hall the week before the election giving voters tools to get involved at this critical moment
• Unmasking of the divisive strategies – and big coffers – of our opponents like the National Organization for Marriage
• Providing extensive web resources on Mitt Romney’s real record on LGBT issues

“We’ve come too far to take steps back this year in the fight for equality,” added Griffin.  “Our opponents are back to their dirty tricks of lies and deception, so now it’s up to us – with truth and energy on our side – to leave no stone unturned in the most historic election ever for our community.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.