BALLOT QUESTION
IF PETITION signatures are deemed valid, the November referendum question would read:
"DO YOU WANT to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?"
AUGUSTA — A coalition that wants to repeal the state's gay-marriage law announced Wednesday that it has collected more than enough signatures to get the issue on the November ballot.
Stand for Marriage Maine, which includes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and several other groups, has collected more than the 55,087 signatures needed for a people's veto question, according to a statement from the coalition. It has until early August to turn them in for certification by the secretary of state.
"In just four weeks, we've gathered more than 55,000 signatures from Mainers who believe they, not the Legislature and governor, should have the final say on the definition of marriage," Marc Mutty, chairman of the coalition, said in a written statement.
The coalition plans to turn in more signatures than required in case there are duplicates or some signatures are deemed invalid, said Tim Russell of Sidney, who has helped organize the effort.
"We're asking people to continue to gather (signatures) so we can get overage for duplication," he said.
In May, Maine became the fifth state in the country to legalize gay marriage. Because non-emergency laws do not take effect until 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, the new law wasn't scheduled to take effect until Sept. 12.
If the signatures are deemed valid, the law would be put on hold until after the voting in November. The ballot question would read:
"Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?"
Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for Maine Freedom to Marry – a coalition that includes EqualityMaine, the Maine Civil Liberties Union, and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders – said he is not surprised by Stand for Marriage's announcement.
"Advocates who are working on this issue knew from the beginning they would have to win at the Legislature and the ballot box in November," Connolly said. "We are hiring staff, raising money and have a lot of grass-roots action taking place. We are feeling pretty good about where we are."
Bob Emrich, a Baptist pastor and a member of Stand for Marriage Maine, said in a written statement that he looks forward to a "vigorous defense of marriage" throughout the campaign.
"Traditional marriage has never lost on the ballot in any state," he said. "We expect it to prevail in Maine. The fact that we've gathered all these signatures in just a month to proceed with the people's veto suggests that the people of Maine, like those in 43 other states, want to restore marriage to its historical and time-honored definition as between a man and a woman."
A poll in April reported that Maine voters were almost evenly divided on the issue, with slightly more people opposing same-sex marriage.
Connolly noted that unlike in other states where the issue has gone to a public vote, the Legislature in Maine passed, and the governor signed, a gay-marriage bill into law.
"We've got a lot of support throughout the state," he said.
The Bangor Daily News contributed to this report.
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