Former President Bill Clinton today came out publicly against North Carolina’s anti-gay Amendment One, which would ban same-sex marriage in the state’s constitution. Voters have until Tuesday, May 8 to cast their ballots on the issue.

In a pre-recorded “robocall,” the former president spoke against the ballot initiative, telling voters Amendment One, if passed, will change “North Carolina’s ability to keep good businesses, attract new jobs, and attract and keep talented entrepreneurs.”

Hello, this is President Bill Clinton. I’m calling to urge you to vote against Amendment One on Tuesday May 8. If it passes, it won’t change North Carolina’s law on marriage. What it will change is North Carolina’s ability to keep good businesses, attract new jobs, and attract and keep talented entrepreneurs. If it passes, your ability to keep those businesses, get those jobs, and get those talented entrepreneurs will be weakened. And losing even one job to Amendment One is too big of a risk. Its passage will also take away health insurance from children and could even take away domestic violence protections from women. So the real effect of the law is not to keep the traditional definition of marriage, you’ve already done that. The real effect of the law will be to hurt families and drive away jobs. North Carolina can do better. Again, this is Bill Clinton asking you to please vote against Amendment One. Thanks.

Anti-gay groups like NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, have turned Amendment One into a racially-divisive issue, even recording videos focused on black and Latino churches. Former President Clinton occasionally was referred to, while in office, as ”America’s first black president.”

Equality North Carolina, who released the audio, today in a statement said Amendment One “would ban relationship recognitions and threaten protections for the state’s unmarried couples,” and identified the voice as the former President’s. “The statement was recorded as a robo call to mobilize North Carolina voters against the amendment,” the statement reads.

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