Mass. Citizens for Marriage Request Investigation of Horse Complaint

No Evidence of Wrongdoing after Five Months of Media Circus

MassNews Staff
April 5, 2002

The President of Massachusetts Citizens for Marriage, Sarah McVay Pawlick, wrote a stinging rebuttal yesterday to Sec. of State Galvin about Susan Wagner of "Save Our Horses."

She encouraged Galvin to begin an immediate investigation into Wagner's charge that unfair practices were used during last fall's signature-gathering.

"It is common knowledge in any political campaign that false charges and smears are always hurled, by those who are prone to do so, during the final week before the election," she wrote. "They hope that the candidate will not be able to respond in time.

"Inasmuch as this is exactly one week before our 'election,' which begins next Wednesday, April 10, with a Legislative hearing about our Protection of Marriage Amendment, the recent actions by 'Save the Horses' fit the pattern exactly.

"It appears that our opponents -- of which 'Save Our Horses' is now most prominent -- hope to hurl baseless charges in order to create smokescreens at the Wednesday hearing.

"We ask that you conduct an investigation to examine the evidence which 'Save Our Horses' asserts in support of their lawsuit which was just filed against you.

"We request that you begin this investigation immediately and complete it as quickly as possible.

"As you know, the statements made to the media by 'Save Our Horses' have never contained either names or facts.

"Over the past five months since last November, they have complained repeatedly that a substantial number of people signed our petition while thinking they were signing the horse petition. We have waited vainly for over five months for any proof of those charges. But none has been forthcoming.

"Nevertheless, now that a suit has been filed against you - still without any proof of the charges - we must request that your office undertake an immediate and thorough investigation of this matter."

New York Times Takes Up Their Cause

The NY Times, which is the owner of the Boston Globe, took up the cause of those against marriage in an article today which extolled the merits of 'Save the Horses.' But this was not surprising to any observers in that the Times has always editorialized in favor of homosexual marriage. The fact the Times has waited all these months to support the attack against the Amendment, only a few days before the hearings will be held, indicates the exquisite timing of the opponents - to lessen the time for MCM to rebut any false accusations which surface at this late date.

Started in November

MCM wrote that they had always suspected that opponents were signing the Petition so that they could complain later.

"We always suspected that some opponents were signing our Petition in order to later claim that they had been 'tricked,'" said the letter, "but we had no idea how many. Even if there are now approximately 200 people who say they were confused, as we read in the press, that is much less than 1% of the 76,607 signatures that you certified. It does not begin to touch the many thousands upon thousands of additional signatures that they need to get on the ballot. They must have other reasons for all this noise.

"This campaign to damage our voting process began last year on November 15 when the Boston Globe chose to print a letter from Jane Detwiler, Natick, in which she said she signed our petition at her school for a volunteer 'without understanding the full meaning' of the Amendment. She did not claim she was deceived in any way. But this was the beginning of the dirty tricks.

"The following day, Attorney General Reilly issued a press release that his office had received "several" complaints (which means 'more than two but not many,' according to Webster) and found that 'some' voters 'may' have 'signed a petition they did not support.'

"Based upon this, Attorney General Reilly advised voters to 'carefully read' anything they are asked to sign. Everyone agreed with that advice. But the horse people have continued to use that Press Release as though he had found something wrong. He did not even hint to that effect. No action was taken by the Attorney General and the matter is not being investigated.

"Now, after five months of 'investigation' by the horse people, only five people were named as complainants in the lawsuit filed against you. The organization now claims they have several hundred names but they refuse to reveal them yet.

"In spite of their efforts to recruit 'victims' of this alleged trick, 'Save Our Horses' has produced no more than five names which would support its charge of a conspiracy to trick petition signers.

"Their plan is to make a big 'scandal' of this on the day before the hearing next week.

Please Investigate Carefully

The letter requested Secretary Galvin to make a thorough investigation.

"We sincerely believe that any deliberate effort to manipulate our election process should be prosecuted fully," said the letter.

"We support punishing those who deceive the public, whether it is by some form of trickery in collecting signatures or by making unsubstantiated and false charges to the media.

"But the time for speculation concerning this deceptive practice has long since passed. If 'Save Our Horses' has proof of any fraudulent practice,
they should present it to you immediately. We do not understand why this was not done during the critical period of certification of the petitions by
your office.

"Most of the signatures on our petitions were gathered by unpaid volunteers
outside churches and shopping malls across Massachusetts.

"At the time this charge first surfaced, we contacted the contractor and asked if such practices were being used by him. The contractor denied using any of the deceptive techniques described by the horse group to the media. We also dispatched members of our staff to various locations to observe the
contractor's employees. Our employees saw no evidence of any of the
deceptive practices described by the horse group to reporters.

"Mr. Secretary, we ask that you carefully examine the charges and the
documentation, which we assume, will be made public, at some point in the
future, by 'Save Our Horses.'"

Please Check These

Mrs. Pawlick requested an examination of the following:

"The relationship between those who have complained about this alleged
deception and organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), American Civil Liberties Union, the Campaign for Equality, Citizens for Participation in Political Action, the Freedom to Marry Coalition and Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Norwood-Walpole Citizens for All Families, Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples, Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force and other organizations opposed to the Protection of Marriage Amendment.

"The results of the mailing to signers of the Protection of Marriage Petition by 'Save Our Horses' asking signers if they (1) intended to sign the horse petition, (2) did not intend to sign the Protection of Marriage petition and did not know why their name appears there or (3) intended to sign both the horse and Protection of Marriage petition.

"The scope, cost and information about who funded the recent 'Save Our Horses' mailing to our signers and the relationship between the funding of this extensive mailing and the National Organization for Women (NOW), American Civil Liberties Union, the Campaign for Equality, Citizens for Participation in Political Action, the Freedom to Mary Coalition and Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Norwood-Walpole Citizens for All Families, Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples, Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry and the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force or any other organizations opposed to the Protection of Marriage Amendment.

"It is estimated by experts that the recent mailing to our supporters by 'Save the Horses' cost approximately $1.31 apiece, unless they are in collusion with those who opposed the Amendment. The very fact that a computer was used to manipulate the list of signers so that not more than one letter was sent to a household (even though more than one had signed the Petition) indicates that they undoubtedly worked with someone who provided them with the mailing list."