By Sen. Sheila Kuehl and
Assemblymember Mark Leno

This election day you will be center stage at a critical moment in our movement’s history. For the first time ever, California’s entire Democratic slate of candidates for top statewide office supports full LGBT citizenship—including marriage equality. This slate includes candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and controller. In addition, most of our Democratic candidates for state Assembly and state Senate have already voted in favor of marriage equality.

With this unprecedented support for the right to marry, which is the lynchpin of our drive for full recognition of our relationships, we have truly raised the bar across the nation. It is a testament to the work we have done as a community.

But the bar won’t stay in place without our continued efforts. The credibility of the LGBT community as a voting block is on the line in this election. Politicians here in California and across the country need to know that we will turn out for those who support our equality.

A strong LGBT voter turnout Nov. 7 is critical. This is not a time to complain that this election “isn’t very exciting.” It is not time to decide it doesn’t matter whether you vote. No one who believes in equal rights should fail to exercise their power at the ballot box on Nov. 7.

Consider the candidates. As governor, Phil Angelides will sign the marriage-equality bill. As lieutenant governor, John Garamendi will use his office as a bully pulpit for full equality. As secretary of state, Debra Bowen will be a supportive steward of the domestic partner program as well as a fierce protector of the integrity of California elections. As attorney general, Jerry Brown will enforce the laws that protect us. The same is true for Bill Lockyer (running for treasurer), and John Chiang (running for state controller). Those in power determine how the dictates of each office affect LGBT lives, and those who vote determine who gets in office.

Remember, too, how hard we fought to get our marriage-equality bill through the Legislature. Our friends risked tough re-elections to support us. We must not let them down.

Let us repeat: A strong gay and lesbian voter turnout in this election is critical.

We have come too far to falter now. We must do everything in our power, as individuals and as a community, to elect people who stand up for us. The LGBT vote in California is at least 5 percent of the electorate. When we turn out to vote, our numbers make the difference in elections. We must make this moment count. Our voter turnout must match this historic moment. We owe it to ourselves, to our families and to our children. We owe it to our future.

So vote—vote by absentee ballot, vote at the polls and vote for the candidates who offer us full respect, dignity and validation as first-class citizens.

Make voting this November a priority in your life. Make it a priority in your circle of friends. Get the word out: Voting matters. It is the difference between progress and setback. And what we do here sets the tone for the rest of the nation.

Consider your vote for Democrats this Nov. 7 a slap against the blight of bigotry and injustice that still threatens too many of us in this country. You can fight back by voting. You can step up and answer this historic moment—for California and for the nation. Your vote is a blow against the closet doors that would keep us powerless and silent.

Make this moment and your vote count. Nov. 7. Vote, and make it Democratic.