While you all will be anxiously following the results of the presidential race 8 days from today, there are also some ballot initiatives around the country that you should be paying attention to. In several states, social conservatives are pushing homophobic and anti-choice ballot measures that might have significant consequences for years to come. Here are some of the major ones to watch on election night:

California

Proposition 8 is on the ballot, which would seek to outlaw gay marriage in California. While 2004 saw sweeping victories for anti-gay marriage referendums around the country, California has a good chance of bucking that trend this year. Polling on this initiative has swung back and forth recently, and it could go either way.

The state has been flooded with ads for and against the measure, mostly pitting Hollywood money vs. the Mormon Church, which supports the initiative. For a glimpse of the homophobic hate that's being stirred up by the "Yes" side, check out this video of one of their demonstrations. (there seems to be a lot of these scary videos on YouTube these days)


The Face of Proposition 8 from Theremina on Vimeo.

South Dakota

One of the victories of the 2006 election was the ballot initiative that was defeated in South Dakota that would have banned all abortions, even in the case of rape, incest, and where the health of the mother is at issue. This year, they have a tamed down version of the inititative (ballot measure 11) which outlaws abortion with these exceptions, setting up a constitutional battle over Roe vs. Wade.

But surprisingly, even this measure might be voted down in the heavily anti-choice state (I did political canvassing there 4 years ago and was called a baby killer twice because my candidate wasn't for outlawing all abortion). A poll out last week showed that the "No's" were winning 44-42, which would be a devastating blow to the anti-womenchoice movement.

Florida

Florida also has an initiative (Amendment 2) to ban gay marriage, which most observers predicted would pass easily. However, recent polling has shown support for the bill at 53%, below the 60% it would take to pass the measure. This one will also go right down to the wire.

Arizona

Arizona also has an iniative to ban gay marriage (Prop. 102) that will be a tough battle. A poll in early October found that Arizonans supported the bill 49-40 (over 50% needed to pass).

Colorado

Amendment 48 seeks to legal define a "person" as any human at the moment of conception. Such an amendment could lead to making birth control pills illegal, also providing another backdoor attack at Roe vs. Wade. Fortunately, a recent poll found the bill behind 39-50.