Maine set for historic 'gay marriage' vote

mizpeh · #1 09-03-2009, 08:51 PM

My signature is on that petition and I look forward to voting on this issue in the fall!!!

Quote:

AUGUSTA, Maine (BP)--A ballot measure that would overturn Maine's "gay marriage" law officially qualified for the ballot Wednesday, putting the state on course for a historic November vote.

It will be the first time the issue has been put on the ballot in the liberal Northeast, a region that has largely embraced the "gay rights" movement. Maine either will become the first state to affirm "gay marriage" at the ballot, or the second one -- following California -- to legalize such unions, then reverse course.

The measure is sure to capture the attention of both sides of the debate nationally, particularly being that 2009 is an off-year election with little else on ballots in other states. Several homosexual activist groups in California already have urged their members to donate to Protect Maine Equality, the group working to keep "gay marriage" legal.

Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Sept. 2 that the measure, called a People's Veto, had qualified for the ballot. Dunlap's office stopped validating signatures after 60,391 -- well more than the 55,087 required -- were considered legal. Stand for Marriage Maine, the official proponent of the measure, turned in roughly 100,000 signatures in late July. Involvement by the state's Protestant and Catholic churches was critical, those in the state said.

The People's Veto, if passed, would reverse a law legalizing "gay marriage signed by Democratic Gov. John Baldacci in May. It has not gone into effect and won't do so until voters have a say. The measure will be known as Question 1 on the ballot. Maine is one of but a handful of states that allow citizens to gather signatures to overturn laws.

"More than 100,000 Mainers signed petitions to do what the legislature and governor did not: allow the people of Maine to participate in the decision of legalizing homosexual marriage," Marc Mutty, Stand for Marriage Maine campaign chairman, said in a statement. "Preserving the definition of marriage as between a man and woman is far too important an issue to be left solely in the hands of elected officials, without the input, consent or, perhaps, even knowledge of Mainers."......

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