An anti-gay marriage rally drew more than 1,000 people. 

The attendees, most of them from Baptist churches across the state, stood on the ice-covered lawn outside the legislative building in Raleigh to demand that state legislators give them a chance to vote on a constitutional amendment to protect marriage, Yonat Shimron reports.

The rally, sponsored by a Winston-Salem group called Return America, featured two nationally acclaimed conservative Christian pundits who described a breakdown of society should gay couples be allowed to marry. They then urged those attending to knock on their legislator's doors and demand action.

"Let them feel the heat until they see the light," said David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, a ministry devoted to educating Americans about the country's moral and religious foundation.

The rally was a follow-up to a press conference last week in which Republican legislators re-introduced a bill that would allow North Carolina to hold a referendum on marriage. The bill has been sidetracked to a committee.

North Carolina does not allow same-sex marriage but advocates of a constitutional amendment say they want extra protections should a judge decide the current law is unconstitutional.

Nine groups spent $757,926 soliciting state legislators last year.

According to a compilation of reports filed with the N.C. Secretary of State, three-fourths of the money was spent by the Partnership for North Carolina's Future.

Launched in May of 2007, the group spent $588,441 advocating on growth issues such as open space, water and sewer needs, traffic congestion and housing.

Solicitation is different from lobbying in that it seeks to connect members of the public with lawmakers to influence their votes using such things as Web sites and direct-mail campaigns.

Major spenders included groups that work on growth issues.

The Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County, an industry group, spent $71,340 on solicitation. N.C. Go, which works on transportation issues, spent $32,927. The N.C. Homeowners Alliance, which opposed the transfer tax, spent $19,554.

The remaining groups worked on a variety of issues.

The Coalition for Persons Disabled by Mental Illness spent $19,698. The Alliance for Digital Equality, which advocates for minorities on telecommunications issues, spent $14,676. Dix 306, a group of business and community leaders advocating for the Dorothea Dix hospital property in Raleigh to become a major urban park, spent $8,068.

And Return America, a Judeo-Christian group that opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, spent $3,219.

Other groups may also have spent money. Under state law, advocacy groups only have to file solicitation reports if they spend more than $3,000 on it in a 90-day period.