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Article: Defeating the Alabama tax referendum.(Opinion)
- Article from:
- Campaigns & Elections
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Campaigns & Elections, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Late one evening, a conservative activist from rural Alabama took a wrong turn and found himself in a predominantly black section of Mobile. He scanned the neighborhood in the fading twilight, looking for the interstate, and was shocked by what he saw. The space in front of nearly every home displayed teal-and-yellow signs that read, "We are taxed enough--Vote No September 9," the very same message touted on the bumper of his car.
This came as a surprise because many groups that usually produce black voters at the polls, including African Methodist Episcopal churches, were among the 108 organizations that had endorsed Gov. Bob Riley's 2003 tax package, known as ...