Corradino loses (Patton wins)
Kentuckians cast decisive vote against Jefferson County’s gay rights ordinance
From Kentucky Citizen Digest, January/February, 2000

A cold and rainy election day combined with a weakly contested gubernatorial race marked much more than what was Kentucky’s lowest overall voter turnout ever in a general election. An unexpected win proved to be a major upset for proponents of gay-rights ordinances and is considered by many to have been the most important race of the election.

Only 20 percent of voters made their way to the polls, 61 percent of whom made Paul Patton’s next four years as governor possible. But voters in Jefferson County topped the state turnout, showing they had much more than that to say.

Though the odds were stacked against her, Republican Barbara Davis defeated Democrat Joe Corradino in the contest for Jefferson County’s B District commissioner. Corradino was the pivotal vote in the county’s gay rights legislation, which passed 3-1 on Oct. 12.

Such results at the polls showed that the controversy surrounding special legislation for homosexuals is not finished. And in the stormy wake of the isolated gay rights laws being passed in a few communities, Nov. 2 was a day voters clearly voiced their strong opposition to lawmakers’ decisions to allow such legislation.

The election results were particularly telling of the force of citizens’ view on gay rights legislation considering the major disadvantages Davis overcame to win. Davis’ fund-raising totals were much less than Corradino’s — $65,000. Corradino’s total was $220,000.

And what made the results even more astounding is the fact that voter registration shows approximately twice as many Democrats in Jefferson County as Republicans.

Davis brought in 71,526 votes, or 55 percent, topping Corradino’s 57,675, 45 percent. 29 percent of Jefferson County’s registered voters participated, 9 percent more than the statewide voter turnout.

Davis, who stands firmly against legislation giving homosexuals special rights, received much support from African-Americans, Republicans, and Democrats who opposed Corradino on the basis of his controversial vote. She is the first Republican to be elected Jefferson County commissioner in 20 years and is the second woman to serve on the Jefferson Fiscal Court. And her win means Republicans will hold two of the four seats on Jefferson Fiscal Court for the first time since 1983.

“Tonight the people of Jefferson County redefined fairness, and voted for fairness,” Davis said of her election. This “was a referendum on the deaf ear turned to you, the citizens of Jefferson County,” she stated. “Tonight that changes.”

The race for governor of Kentucky saw pro-choice Republican Peppy Martin, a candidate many in her own party refused to support, receive 23 percent of the votes. Gatewood Galbraith of the Reform Party brought in 15 percent, a number greater than any other third-party candidate before in a governor’s race, according to Secretary of State John Y. Brown III. In fact, according to Brown, Galbraith was the first third-party candidate in a governor’s race to top 10 percent. About 7,000 votes went to Nailah Jumoke-Yarbrough with the Natural Law Party. Rep. Hoby Anderson, a write-in candidate, received 3,323 votes
 

Key Family Foundation Contacts: Kent Ostrander, Executive Director Martin Cothran, Senior Associate Policy Analyst