Pretty cool! I am proud that members of the GLBT community seem to have a high rate of voting in elections. Truth to tell, EVERYONE that can vote, should vote. I really get angry at folks who blather about how patriotic they are, put cheap and tacky flag stickers on their SUV, and then don't bother to take the small amount of time it takes to go out and vote.
So, for those wondering about why Democratic candidates are speaking at a GLBT-focused discussion on LOGO tomorrow (and yes, my DVR is already set to record it!), here's why: when you show up at the polls, it is in polticians' interest to listen to you. Please note that gay men voted at about twice the rate of the general population in the 2006 midterm election.
The Los Angeles Times points to a new poll by San Francisco-based Community Marketing Inc. finding that "92.5% of gay men reported that they voted in the 2004 presidential race, and almost 84% said they cast ballots in the 2006 midterm election. Among lesbians, the results were almost as impressive; nearly 91% said they voted in 2004; for the midterm, the figure was 78%."
"The information on voter participation by gays was compiled as part of a larger study of consumer interests and habits within the community slated for release later this month. The survey questioned more than 12,000 gay men and more than 10,000 lesbians, giving its results a miniscule error margin of plus-or-minus 1%."
[Taegan Goddard's Political Wire]
