Chick-fil-A voter registration drives ruffled Democrats' feathers after the supervisor of elections in Pinellas County, Florida, chose to organize the events at the conservative eatery on National Voter Registration Day.
Members of the Stonewall Democrats, a pro-LGBT equality group, are outraged at Deborah Clark for choosing the Republican-friendly restaurants, and leader Susan McGrath compared the selection to a Democratic supervisor of elections holding the drives at Planned Parenthood, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The group also brought up Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s personal opposition to same sex marriage as a reason for protesting the decision. In a letter to Clark reported by Fox News, McGrath said, “As an elected official, you have a duty to be evenhanded and fair. Surely, you and your office staff do understand that using Chick-Fil-A as the base for voter registration activities is not only inherently unfair but overtly partisan as well.”
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the letter continued, “While some Democrats may occasionally dine at Chick-Fil-A (and perhaps even members of the LGBT community), the coordination of Pinellas voter registration activities with this right-leaning business very clearly conveys that your office is targeting Republican-leaning voters.” McGrath asked Clark not to hold future voting drives at Chick-Fil-A.
Jason Latimer, Clark’s spokesman, told the Tampa Bay Times that the office is scheduled to hold 350 voter registration drives in hundreds of different locations this year and noted that the restaurants draw many consumers. Latimer declined to comment on McGrath’s letter to either the Times or Fox News.
McGrath also took issue with Clark’s recent objection to opening a satellite early voting office in predominantly African-American neighborhoods of St. Petersburg.
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