From The Fund for Animals -
[email protected]
The results of the 2002 animal protection ballot initiatives are in!
Overall, the people spoke out in a huge way for animals, with victories
in five of six statewide ballot measures, and six of six county
measures.
ARIZONA: Proposition 201 -- VICTORY -- 20% to 80%. Voters rejected
Proposition 201, which would have expanded gambling at greyhound racing
tracks and provided a new revenue stream for the greyhound racing
industry, which mistreats and kills thousands of dogs a year. Surplus
dogs and dogs who do not meet racing standards are often shot or
bludgeoned to death. The failure of Proposition 201 helps to minimize
the profit that can be made from the exploitation of greyhounds.
ARKANSAS: Initiated Act 1 -- DEFEAT -- 37% to 63%. The failure of
Initiated Act 1, to make extreme acts of animal cruelty a class D
felony, is the result of widespread misinformation from animal abuse
industries. Initiated Act 1 would also have toughened laws against
cockfighting, creating penalties equivalent to those for dogfighting, in
addition to making egregious acts of animal abuse a felony. Yet
opponents of the act, led by the Arkansas Farm Bureau, wrongly portrayed
the act as an extremist measure that would have outlawed animal research
and other animal use industries.
FLORIDA: Amendment 10 -- VICTORY -- 55% to 45%. The first measure ever
to be adopted in the United States to ban the confinement of animals on
factory farms, Amendment 10 bans the caging of pigs in gestation crates
-- tiny, two foot by seven foot cages in which pregnant pigs are housed
for almost all of their dismal existence. The crates are so small that
confined pigs can't even turn around. Years of this tortured life leads
to a spate of physical and psychological ailments. With the passage of
Amendment 10, these intelligent animals will be spared the agony of
gestation crates, and giant hog farms may be discouraged from taking up
residence in Florida.
GEORGIA: Amendment 6 -- VICTORY -- 71% to 29%. The approval of Amendment
6, to create a special spay/neuter license plate, will bring
sorely-needed funds to spay/neuter programs. Money from the sales of the
special "animal-friendly" license plates will subsidize low-cost
companion animal sterilization programs in the state, preventing the
birth and ultimate euthanasia of tens of thousands of unwanted cats and
dogs. Georgia joins nineteen other states that already have a special
animal-friendly license plate and, like them, Georgia will help raise
millions of dollars to combat the problem of companion animal
overpopulation and the suffering it causes.
OKLAHOMA: State Question 687 -- VICTORY -- 56% to 44%. SQ 687 passed
easily, making Oklahoma the 48th state to ban the cruel practice of
cockfighting. Only Louisiana and a few counties in New Mexico remain!
Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, in endorsing SQ 687, has stated,
"Cockfighting is cruel; it promotes illegal gambling and it is simply
embarrassing to Oklahoma to be seen as one of only a tiny handful of
locations outside of the Third World where this activity is legal."
With this important victory, the people of Oklahoma can proudly say
they do not allow the brutal sport of cockfighting in their state, and
they have established stiff felony penalties for cockfighting
violations.
OKLAHOMA: State Question 698 -- VICTORY -- 46% to 54%. The defeat of SQ
687, an anti-animal measure, is an important victory for the animals.
Denounced by the Daily Oklahoman as "shameful" and "dishonest," this
measure would have amended the Oklahoma Constitution to require nearly
twice the number of signatures to qualify an animal protection measure
for the ballot. With the rejection of SQ 698, Oklahomans who care about
animals now retain the same access to the legislative process that is
enjoyed by the farm bureau and other groups who profit from the
exploitation of animals.
WEST VIRGINIA: Sunday Hunting -- VICTORY -- Sunday hunting was on the
ballot in Cabell, Hardy, Kanawha, Putnam, Webster, and Wirt counties,
and was soundly defeated in all six counties. During the May primaries,
all 35 of the counties voting rejected Sunday hunting. Sunday is the
one day a week during hunting season when hikers, campers, and other
non-consumptive wildlife recreationists can use the outdoors without
fear of being shot, and Sunday hunting is opposed by a diverse coalition
of farmers, wildlife advocates, and citizens.
Go on to National Gentle Thanksgiving
Return to 10 November 2002 Issue
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