Calls about Prop. 8 not imminent

As it presented a satellite broadcast Wednesday night to California members in support of Proposition 8, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said organizing other members outside of California to call that state's voters doesn't mean mass calling is imminent.

On the Nov. 4 state ballot, Proposition 8 calls for a California state constitution amendment that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

The LDS Church has joined the state's Protect Marriage Coalition, whose leaders and members include large contingents of Latter-day Saints, Catholics and Evangelical Protestants as well as other churches, community groups and individuals supporting traditional marriage.

Elders M. Russell Ballard and Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy participated in the satellite broadcast.

In addition to giving time and attention to the doctrine of marriage, the broadcast also dealt with aspects of religious liberties, effects on children, coalition campaign efforts and examples of what some California members already have been doing to support the campaign, said Elder Clayton in one of several interviews he conducted Wednesday afternoon.

Specifically invited to the broadcast were young single adult and young married adult members in California and other members working in the grassroots campaign.

Also, the broadcast was made available to California college students in Utah and several other Western states "because they're registered voters in California," he said.

California resident members involved in Protect Marriage Coalition efforts have, among other things, donated money, made neighborhood visits, displayed yard signs and called friends, family and registered voters to explain Proposition 8 and encourage support.

Elder Clayton said all calls made to date by LDS Church members have been by Californians living in their home state, with the Church testing a system to see if Californians living outside of the state — such as college students — could be involved in phoning efforts.

"If the coalition asks us to do that and if the test works, then we'll consider doing that," he said.

Stake and ward leaders in Utah have also been alerting local members here about the possibility of being involved in calling California voters, but their involvement "would be a coalition request, not a Church decision," Elder Clayton said.