AN ANARCHIST ON VOTING NO ON MEASURE 13
by Trevor Blake 16 October 1994
127 House / Box 2321 / Portland OR 97208 USA / house127@teleport.com

[please feel free to reprint, post and distribute as desired...]

Friends:

I am not proud to be voting in the November 1994 election.  More than
anything else, I feel bullied into it by the existence of Measure 13.

Some reasons I've chosen not to vote in the past include:
- I resent being governed by a state I did not create which nevertheless
 feels authorized to wield all sorts of power over me.
- I would rather not give someone the power to represent me without
 having the power to take it away again.
- I will not serve on any jury and don't even want to be bothered about
 it.
- I don't want the junk mail that signing up to anything brings.
- I don't want to add to my paper trail and fail to see the connection
between my date & place of birth and political opinions (astrological,
perhaps?).
- and if nothing else the whole patriotic spectacle looks phoney to me.

Reasons _to_ vote that have failed to move me:
'Voting changes things.'
- No, not really.  Is it possible to completely re-structure government
from top to bottom with every election?  Can I participate in or
generate an election any time I want?  Voting changes some things, but
(1) not the things I care about (2) not in the way I want them to change
(3) not very much even when they do change.  Generally, voting appears
to put a new gang of liars and criminals in charge, or authorize the
removal of another set of freedoms, or complicate a freedom with more
and more laws.  Those are the changes voting brings about for me.

'It's the only system we have so we have to participate.'
- More than anything else, this is an admission we are hostages to the
state.  It really is the only system we have, and what's more we can't
get it away from us.  It has most of the weapons, prisons, ability to
tax and license to war -- it has them irregardless of who or what we
vote for.  I can't really feel happy and patriotic about that.  We 'have
to participate' only in that we _will_ be taxed, drafted, imprisoned and
the like whether we want to or not.  The ability to elect ones' bullies
is an ugly freedom; shall I spit first in your right eye or your left?
Not spitting is not an option.

'If you don't vote you can't complain.'
- So if you do vote you can complain?  Is that the merrit of voting?
Actually, I can complain about anything I want, even 14th Century Rome.
Complaining is easy.  How can I complain if I _do_ vote?  Can I stop
paying taxes?  Can I get free health care?  Can I pull back all U.S.
troups from everywhere and disband the army?  I'd really like to
complain about those things.  I'd like to complain about the prisons and
mental hospitals, complain them right out of existence.  I won't argue
that some people choose to work within the state for reform, and
some of the work they do is very much a good thing.  I also won't
tolerate being told working withing the state, on the state's terms, is
the only way to do good things.  If you don't vote you can't complain is
about the same as saying if you don't sit in the back of the bus and
drink from the right fountains you can't have the legitimacy required to
work for civil rights.

'People have died for the right to vote.'
- That's true.  And when they did, voting usually meant a little
something different than it does here and now, Portland OR 1994.
'Voting' in PDX and South Africa this year are about as similar as
eating a light snack before going out with friends, and eating for the
first time after starving for fifty years.  The comparison is false.
People have died for my right to be a christian and I'm not obliged to
them, either.  People die for all kinds of things, and for nothing at
all.  Is the United States the same country it was when it was founded?
Or even since around World War Two?  Did those people really die for me?
Did the American Indians die for me?  When did I ask them to do all this
dying?  Guilt is not part of my politics and the weakest tool against me.

All the reasons I've never voted are still meaningful to me.  All the
arguments for voting are still unconvincing to me.  My voting this year
is nothing but a compromise of what I think is right, a gesture (and I
don't have faith that it will be anything more than a gesture) against a
particular example of state and religious bullying, Measure 13.  I never
wanted to have a dialogue with the state, but if they insist I'll tell
them not to do something.  I'll tell them not to do a lot of things, in
fact.  Until now I've refused to speak their gutter language to do it
but I will this year.  And all I can feel about it is ashamed and angry.
I know if I vote against Measure 13 I might as well vote against other
obnoxious, unnecessary, hateful laws, but this year at least I'm keeping
the insult to a minimum.

The state has and will do what it wants.  Measure 13 might pass, it
might not, something worse might replace it, none of that is in my
hands.  I don't feel good about voting but I know I alone am responsible
for it; I'm not responsible for what happens after, either responsible
to be glad Measure 13 failed or mad it did or bad I didn't vote.
Working within or outside the law is like stepping in mud or clover; as
long as you're progressing you're bound to do both.  I hit a mud puddle
this year but you'll mostly find me in the clover.

The following is from the Official General Election Voters' Pamphlet...

=======================================================================
13
AMENDS CONSTITUTION: GOVERMENTS CANNOT APPROVE, CREATE CLASSIFICATIONS
BASED ON, HOMOSEXUALITY

QUESTION: Sall constitution bar goverments from creating classifications
based on homosexuality or spending public funds inmanner expressing
approval of homosexuality?

SUMMARY: Amends state Constitution.  Governments cannont:
- create classifications based on homosexuality;
- advise or teach children, students, employees that homosexuality
equates legally or socially with race, other protected classifications;
- spend public funds in manner promoting or expressing approval of
homosexuality;
- deny constitutional rights, services due under existing statutes.

Measure nonetheless allows adult library books addressing homosexualuity
with adult-only access.  Public employees' private lawful sexual
behaviors may be cause for personal action, if those behaviors disrupt
workplace.

ESTIMATE OF FINANCIAL IMPACT: No financial effect on state or local
government expenditures or revenues.

THE MINORITY STATUS AND CHILD PROTECTION ACT

AN ACT

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

The Consitution of the State of Oregon is amended by creating a new
section to be added to and made a part of Article 1.  The new section
shall be known as "The Minority Status and Child Protection Act" and
will read as follows:

Section 41: MINORITY STATUS BASED ON HOMOSEXUALITY PROHIBITED.

(1) In the State of Oregon, including all political subdivisions and
government units, minority status shall not apply to homosexuality;
therefore, affirmative action, quotas, special class status or special
classifications such as "sexual orientation," "domestic partnership" or
similar designations shall not be established on the basis of
homosexuality.

(2) Children, students and employees shall not be advised, instructed or
taught by any government agency, department or political unit in the
State of Oregon that homosexuality is the legal or social equivalent of
race, color, religion, gender, age or national origin; nor shall public
funds be expended in a manner that has the purpose or effect of
promoting or expressing approval of homosexuality.

(a) The State of Oregon, political subdivisions and all units of state
and local government shall not grant marital status or spousal benefits
on the basis of homosexuality.

(b) The State of Oregon, political subdivisions and all units of state
and local governmnet, with regard to public employees, shall generally
consider private lawful sexual behaviors as non-job related factors,
provided such factors do not disrupt the work place and that such
consideration does not violate subsections (1) and (2).

(c) Though subsections (1) and (2) are established and in effect, no
unit of state or local government shall deny to private persons business
licenses, permits or services otherwise due under existing statutes; nor
deprive, nulify, or diminish the holding or exercise of any right
guaranteed by the Consitution of the State of Oregon or the Constitution
of the United States of America.

(d) Though subsections (1) and (2) are established and in effect, this
section shall not limit the availability in public libraries of books
and material written for adults which address homosexuality, provided
access to such materials is limited to adults and meets local standards
as established through the existing library review process.

(3) The PEOPLE INTEND, that if any part of this enactment be found
unconstitutional, the remaining parts shall survive in full force and
effect.  This section shall be in all parts self-executing.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

This measure would amend the Oregon Constitution.

The measure prohibits state and local governments from creating
classifications based on homosexuality.  These governments could not
enact laws or policies establishing affirmative action, quotas, or class
status based on homosexuality.  Governments could not enact laws or
policies using classifications such as "sexual orientation," "domestic
partnerships" or similar designations based on homosexuality.
Governments could not grant marital status or spousal benefits on the
basis of homosexuality.

State and local governments could not advise or teach children, students
or employees that homosexuality equates legally or socially with race,
religion, or other protected classifications.  Governments could not
spend public funds that directly or incidentally promote or express
approval of homosexuality.

A state and local government could take personal action based on a
public employee's private lawful sexual behavior only if that behavior
disrupts the work place or otherwise violates this measure.

State and local governments could not deny business licenses, permits or
services otherwise due under existing statues or limit the holding or
exercise of constitutional rights.

The measure would place certain limits on library matierls referencing
homosexuality by limiting the availability of these materials to adults
only.  Adults would have access to library materials referencing
homosexuality if they are written for adults and meet local standards as
established through existing library review procedures.

This measure does not require any action by the legislature in order to
take effect.

Committee Members:      Appointed By:
Scott Lively            Chief Petitioners
Kathy Phelps            Chief Petitioners
Kathleen Beaufait       Secretary of State
Julie Davis*            Secretary of State
Katherine McDowell*     Secretary of State

* Member dissents (does not concur with explanatory statement)

(This committee was appointed to provide an impartial explanation of the
ballot measure pursuant to ORS 251.215)
