Ordinance 5781 officially passed in Fayetteville. The voting for the ordinance concluded at 7:30 Tuesday evening. The results were later finalized around 10:15 that night.
Fayetteville voted 52% For Fayetteville–the LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance.
After a similar proposal was rejected late last year, many Fayetteville citizens refused to accept defeat. They reached out to members of business and faith communities who expressed concerns with LGBT anti-discrimination. Since then, they’ve been working together to come up with a fair solution. That solution is ordinance 5781.
Kyle Smith, a For Fayetteville spokesperson, said he’s thrilled to see the progress made.
“We started from a small group of folks who wanted to see a nondiscrimination ordinance pass after 119 was defeated, ” Smith said. “Through the drafting process and then after the city council decided to put 5781 to a vote, I was amazed at how our campaign grew with more and more local volunteers and donors pitching in every day.”
More support started coming out of Fayetteville as did the rise of the university’s support. U of A students volunteered at the Union Mall all day Tuesday for the final election day. Not only did the college members volunteer, but they helped inform their peers about the ordinance and how to vote.
“When you talk about Fayetteville, there is no Fayetteville without the university community,” Smith said. ” I think it’s important in an election like this that we really get the voices of our entire community in that means–the Razorbacks.”