Marriage Equality Day - King County, WA
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
1 like•534 views
On the night of Dec. 6, 2012, one month after Washington State voters approved same-sex marriage, King County opened the Recorder's Office for a special midnight ceremony that ushered in a new era of civil rights. In doing so, King County became the first jurisdiction in the country to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on voter approval. Happy couples young and old, many of whom had waited decades for this moment, braved the chilly night to become a part of American history. Learn how King County blended traditional and social media to connect with participants, drive news coverage, and emcee a once-in-lifetime event that reimagined how a community engages with local government.
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Marriage Equality Day - King County, WA
Similar to Marriage Equality Day - King County, WA (20)
Marriage Equality Day - King County, WA
- 1. The Marriage Plot: Inside Washington State’s Epic Campaign for LGBT Equality Presented by Derek Belt Social Media Specialist, King County Follow me: @derekbelt Follow us: @kcnews WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 1
- 2. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 2
- 3. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 3
- 4. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 4
- 5. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 5
- 6. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 6
- 7. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 7
- 8. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 8
- 9. Washington voters have narrowly approved same-sex marriage, completing a four-state sweep of victories on Election Day by marriage-equality advocates. Before Tuesday, gay marriage had never won a statewide vote anywhere in America. — SeattlePI.com, Nov. 8, 2012 WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 9
- 10. Referendum 74 – Washington State YES 54% NO 46% Referendum 74 – King County YES 67% NO 33% WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 10
- 11. The dates are set – Dec. 6-8, 2012 King County Executive Dow Constantine announced on his monthly radio spot that the Recorder’s Office would open for a special midnight ceremony Dec. 6, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 6 was declared “Marriage Equality Day” in King County. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 11
- 12. Planning begins WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 12
- 13. Planning begins • Tents • Official queuing area • Media area • King County staff • Volunteers • Nearby coffee shops open all night WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 13
- 14. Traditional media • Logistics/schedule • Credentials • Site walkthrough • Interviews • Press releases • Public awareness & outreach WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 14
- 15. Social media • Twitter - @kcnews and @kcexec • Hashtag - #MEDayWA • Facebook page & events - NEW! • Instagram - NEW! • Storify - NEW! • YouTube - King County TV WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 15
- 16. Social media The goal: • Cover the coverage/customer service The strategy: • Support the media • Real-time updates to people waiting in line • Monitor for rumor control The results: • 30,000 interactions & No. 5 trending topic in U.S. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 16
- 17. Social media Marriage equality vs. General election Tweets @kcnews People Followers Time frame Interactions Clicks sent mentions reached added Dec. 6-8 29,758 157 1,246 1.1 million 587 478 Entire month 2,638 110 346 422,676 1,905 387 of November* * Nov. numbers are Twitter only. King County did not have Facebook, Instagram or Storify pages. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 17
- 18. Social media • 6,639 mentions of #MEDayWA on Twitter • 1,246 mentions of @kcnews • 348 people registered for Facebook events • 5,712 people “talking about this” on Facebook • 400+ photos shared from participants • 8,375 pageviews on Storify • 2,725 video views on YouTube • 91 check-ins at Recorder’s Office WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 18
- 19. Twitter • Engage people in line • Brokered hashtag with local media #MEDayWA • 6,639 hashtag mentions • No. 5 trending topic in U.S. • 149 new followers WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 19
- 20. Twitter WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 20
- 21. Facebook events • Gauge interest in attending • Create a safe place to connect with participants • Update people directly on their smartphones • 348 people registered • 230 new fans WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 21
- 22. Facebook events WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 22
- 23. Facebook events WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 23
- 24. Instagram • Same hashtag as Twitter #MEDayWA • Inside access during special midnight ceremony • 186 photos shared • 311 likes, 16 comments • 86 new followers WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 24
- 25. Instagram WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 25
- 26. Storify • Bring social media conversations together • Real-time editing kept people coming back • Linked to from Storify.com home page • 8,375 pageviews WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 26
- 27. Media coverage WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 27
- 28. Success story • 489 marriage licenses issued on Dec. 6, and 623 issued in three days. • Typical day sees 50-100 licenses issued. • National mainstream media coverage. • Incredible visibility and goodwill locally with 30,000 interactions in social media. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 28
- 29. WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 29
- 30. The Marriage Plot: Inside Washington State’s Epic Campaign for LGBT Equality Presented by Derek Belt Social Media Specialist, King County Follow me: @derekbelt Follow us: @kcnews WOMMfest 2013 Seattle, WA 30
Editor's Notes
- Cold, dark, late – but everyone was happy.
- Cheering, carolers, champagne, even a bubble machine – it was a festive atmosphere.
- Our friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors lined up to participate.
- Inside the Recorder’s Office, a special ceremony was held at midnight with 11 happy couples recommended by community leaders.Pete-e Peterson and Jane Abbott Lighty were the first same-sex couple to receive marriage licenses in WA State – 35 years together.
- Hundreds of other couples braved the chilly night and were issued their marriage licenses throughout the morning.
- But really, what’s a 4- or 5-hour wait when you’ve been waiting 20 years for this moment?
- The atmosphere that night was electric, exciting, overwhelming, historic.
- Washington, Maine, Maryland and Minnesota all approved same-sex marriage on Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012.
- Roughly 1/3 of WA’s population resides in King County.
- Recorder’s Office to openThursday, Dec. 6, from 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.Friday Dec. 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.Saturday, Dec. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- King County planned for the possibility of issuing 750 licenses the first night. We issued 489 licenses. On a typical day, King County’s Recorder’s Office issues between 50 and 100 marriage licenses.
- Limited space in the Recorder’s Office, priority was given to local media.
- “I’ve got a golden ticket” became a theme from the people waiting in line, as King County issued numbered tickets informing participants when they could expect to go inside to receive their marriage licenses.
- With Instagram, we were able to tell the story of Executive Constantine. From left to right: alone in the Recorder’s Office practicing his remarks; handing out “golden tickets” to participants, and signing commemorative keepsakes at 4 a.m.
- This whole experience wasn’t about us. It was about our residents. We never lost sight of that, which is one of the reasons this was so successful and why we had so many compliments.Rachel Maddow put this on her blog, and George Takei tweeted about it a few days later.
- The feedback we got was incredible, and we built a tremendous amount of goodwill between King County and residents and the local media.