From the Baltimore Sun: Activists working to repeal Maryland's same-sex marriage law have
collected more than twice the signatures needed for a referendum —
likely ensuring that the measure will be on the ballot for voters to
decide in November.
The law's opponents submitted 122,481
signatures in favor of a referendum; 55,736 are required. If enough are
verified as legitimate, as expected, Maryland will be in the center of
a national debate on same-sex marriage, with groups on both sides
preparing to spend millions.
The Rev. Derek McCoy, who heads the leading group opposed to the law, called the effort "absolutely exhilarating."
"Marylanders
have a right to vote on this issue," said McCoy, executive director of
the Maryland Marriage Alliance, after the group dropped off boxes of
petitions outside the Maryland secretary of state's office.
The state board of elections has 20 days to review the signatures.
The
marriage law would be the second on this fall's ballot. Opponents of a
law to allow some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at
Maryland universities have won a referendum on that measure. A campaign
is under way against a third law, the state's new congressional
districting map.
Maryland's Democratic-led General Assembly
passed a law in March legalizing same-sex marriage, but it does not go
into effect until January 2013. The date was picked to give opponents
time for a referendum.
Opponents collected petition signatures in
every county in Maryland, according to a report they filed with the
state. They found the most in Baltimore County, with 20,363 opposing the law. In Montgomery County,
a Democratic stronghold where all but one lawmaker voted for same-sex
marriage, 16,611 people signed, the second-highest number.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-same-sex-signatures-submitted-20120529,0,5986836.story
According to the paper, the vote will be held on the same day as the presidential election. The leaders of the anti-gay marriage movement in Maryland are Black, so will this make a difference int he presidential election? I kind of doubt it as Maryland is as blue as they come but it may put Maryland into play and it will force the Obama campaign to spend money there when they were not planning on it.
Has any state had an election in which they voted in favor of gay marriage? So, my guess the gay marriage law will be overturned by the voters of Maryland.
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If voters overturn same-sex marriage in Maryland, there is a very good chance it will go to court, and a very good chance it will be overturned. Much like in California, if the state recognizes a civil right, and then the voters take it away--basically because they think "the gay" is icky--you're on a different page than if same-sex marriage had never been legal in the first place.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember Amendment 2 in Colorado, where voters took away already recognized gay rights? The Supreme Court said, "this Colorado cannot do."
The most surprising thing to me is, in states where gays can legally marry, the sky hasn't fallen. The earth didn't swallow them up. None of the doom and gloom predictions have happened. And yet people are STILL energized enough to want to take rights away from people. See what I mean about the inherent meanness of a lot of conservatives?
**To be clear, above, I meant that if same-sex marriage is overturned, it is likely the court will re-instate it. My wording was confusing.
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