DC Marriage Battle: Anti-Gay Bishop Harry Jackson Scrutinized For Voter Fraud

Outsiders crowded a meeting of the DC city council yesterday as the council deliberated whether putting a same-sex marriage referendum to voters violates the city's 1996 Human Rights Act, which lists eight items than can never be put to a popular vote. One Maryland man told that council that discrimination against homosexuals was "positive discrimination" because "all gay sex acts are a form of pedophilia."

Another outsider present was Bishop Harry Jackson, who is one of the seven people who filed the referendum request. Jackson, who only registered to vote in the District last month, is under scrutiny for possibly fraudulently presenting himself as a DC resident. Via the Washington Blade:

Lou Chibbaro, Jr., the Blade’s senior news reporter, has done some terrific sleuthing this week and discovered that the D.C. condo Jackson claims as his residence belongs to another man, who has reportedly told sources in the building that Jackson is his “roommate.” The condo in question, unit 630 in the upscale Whitman, is a one-bedroom apartment. Residents of the building estimate that a third of the units are gay-owned. So, let’s recap. The anti-gay minister heading an effort to derail same-sex marriage in D.C. lives in a one-bedroom apartment with a male roommate in a building 30 percent occupied by gays.

From the blog Life In Mount Vernon Square:

The referendum may proceed even if Reverend Jackson is disqualified because other co-introducers may legitimately live in the District, but that does not excuse illegal behavior. If, indeed, Reverend Jackson registered to vote in the District by supplying fraudulent information--if he does not actually live at the Whitman--he is subject to criminal prosecution. In fact, DC law provides that a person convicted of making false representations as to his qualifications for registering is subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and may be imprisoned as long as 5 years. Voter fraud is not something we should let slide, especially when it involves people from other states attempting to impose their moral or religious views upon the residents of D.C.

The DC City Council is expected to issue their ruling on the legality of the referendum in one week. For their part, Congress has until July 6th to intervene on their own.