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This November, your vote {ITAL is} important

As we come into the final days before an upcoming election, voters may sometimes wonder to themselves: how important is my vote?
The democratic and patriotic answer, of course, is that every citizen's vote is important. However, there are some races where the votes of a few can make a huge difference for everyone.
This year, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Clifford Taylor is up for reelection for another eight-year stint fighting against progressive issues like LGBT rights.
Most people, however, don't know about this. They don't know that he's racist, sexist, homophobic and backed by right-wing conservatives. They don't know that he's the evil mastermind behind the decision that took away health care benefits from partners (and children) in same-sex couples, or that the conservative majority that he's a part of took away numerous other rights from same-sex parents, like adoption or de facto parenting.
Many people also don't know that this election could change everything in regard to the state Supreme Court.
Taylor is running against Diane Hathaway, a Detroit-based judge who has worked to ensure fairness and equal treatment in the Third Circuit Court for 15 years. Hathaway not only supports fairness in the judicial system, but also believes in adoption rights and equality for same-sex couples.
If Hathaway is elected, the 4-3 majority will shift in favor of more liberal judges. This is one of the keys that is needed to change the rulings that have been hurting the LGBT community in Michigan for years.
Currently, Hathaway holds a slight lead in the polls, but much of the state is undecided on the Supreme Court election because they're unfamiliar with the importance or the candidates. Therefore, a push by LGBT and allied voters alone could be all it takes to ensure that Hathaway beats Taylor and that the Supreme Court in Michigan makes the necessary shift toward fairness and away from biased, ideologically-based and fact-void decisions that negatively affect progressive communities.
However, this election is not won as easily as checking Democrat on your ballot. The Supreme Court election is a non-partisan one, meaning that voting a straight-party ticket will not include a vote for Hathaway.
Your vote is important in this election, and others across the state. Don't put all your eggs in the Obama basket. Make sure you spread them to LGBT supportive and progressive Michigan candidates like Gary Peters and Mark Schauer for Congress and Garnet Lewis and Ellen Cogen Lipton for the House of Representatives. Though electing Obama is important in the national battle, winning the fight for LGBT equality here in Michigan will take allies on other political levels, too.
On Nov. 4, go out and make your vote for a fair, equal and LGBT friendly Michigan and America.

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