The Freedom to Marry team is on the ground in the ballot states!

During the 2011-2012 election cycle, Freedom to Marry has been working closely with all four of the state marriage campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. We've provided key leadership in each of the campaigns, providing strategic guidance and supporting the teams on messaging, paid media, direct mail, and online strategy. Our public education work has provided critical information to help residents in these states understand why marriage matters, and to help arm the campaigns with critical information about how best to talk to voters about marriage so that it most strongly resonates with them.
 
This week, we're delving even further into the state campaigns, with several of our staff members dispatched throughout the country to represent our organization and provide continued, on-the-ground support to these campaigns in the last few days before Election Day. Check out our FACEBOOK PHOTO ALBUM to see images of how we're bolstering these campaigns this week, and read about our work in each of the states:
 
MAINE: Our Online Campaign Manager, Cameron Tolle, has been stationed in Portland for the last three weeks, working closely with Mainers United for Marriage to help bring the Yes on 1 campaign to victory. He's been supporting all facets of the online campaign in Maine, including e-mail messaging and social media work. Cameron and our Director of Political Operations, Shawn Werner, attended the final Yes on 1 rally last week, where Shawn spoke on behalf of Freedom to Marry. Our National Campaign Director, Marc Solomon, is also on the ground in Maine. Read Cameron's blog post about rounding out the last few weeks of the Maine campaign HERE. 
 
MARYLAND: Freedom to Marry has continued to provide critical resources to the Vote For 6 campaign in these last few weeks. We worked with the NAACP National Voter Fund to sponsor radio spots and print ads featuring NAACP Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond making a civil rights argument for the freedom to marry. Freedom to Marry also helped to create and fund a radio spot featuring President Barack Obama speaking about his journey on marriage for same-sex couples. Our Federal Director, Jo Deutsch, has continued working with her partner of 29 years, Teresa, to share their story about why marriage in Maryland matters to them and their children. Read Jo and Teresa's story HERE
 

MINNESOTA: Our Director of Public Engagement, Thalia Zepatos, has been focused on Minnesota for the duration of the election cycle, and in the past few weeks she's been providing critical in-person support to Minnesotans United for All Families, the coalition working to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment in Minnesota that would permanently exclude same-sex couples from marriage. Thalia was joined this weekend by our Federal Director, Jo Deutsch, who traveled to the Twin Cities with two members of our Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry leadership committee - Madeline Koch and CNN commentator Margaret Hoover. Read Jo's Blog Post about the weekend HERE
 
WASHINGTON: Our Director of Organizing, Thomas Wheatley, has been providing key leadership this year in Washington on behalf of Freedom to Marry. He has been traveling to offices throughout the state, providing support in these critical final days. Check out pictures from the Washington United for Marriage campaign HERE, and read some success stories from Washington canvassers HERE
 
Freedom to Marry is excited to make history by winning one or more of these state campaings. By winning at the ballot, we can defeat our opponents' last desperate talking point - that we can't win a popular vote. We are excited to be on hand in each of these states to witness victory and provide the latest updates to our supporters. 
 
You can follow all of the action on each of the ballot measures on Twitter with the hashtag #marriage2012, and by continually refreshing our Live Blog, which you can find HERE