Friday, September 09, 2005

The internet changes petitions

A petition to have the definition of marriage in Massachusetts restricted to one man and one woman has garnered further debate in that state. Now, an organization called Know Your Neighbour.Org, Inc. has put the names and addresses of all the signers of the petitioners online to encourage discourse among neighbours.

KnowThyNeighbor.org - Protect marriage for ALL families in MA!:

"KnowThyNeighbor.org is a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to removing barriers to public information by making it available online. If it's public information, it should be simple for a member of the public to access it!

Initiative Petition # 05-02, The Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage, represents a public political effort that could negatively affect the lives of many families, individuals, and children within the Commonwealth. By posting the names and addresses of the 65,825+ signers, KnowThyNeighbor.org is supporting the Democratic Process by providing the public with direct access to information that they are entitled to see and that is relevant to this controversial topic."

Information such as this has always been accessible, but not so readily. Putting it online may make some think twice before they sign political petitions.

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