enlarge 2009 Telegram file

The Rev. Gail White of Bowdoin and Debra Wagner of Lisbon take petitions to overturn the law allowing same-sex marriage to the secretary of state’s office for validation on July 31. The success of that effort has yielded a substantial state and national response.

In response to Greg Kesich's excellent column, "Ballot questions put too much in the voters' hands" (Nov. 4): I am starting a petition to put this referendum question to the voters next election.

It will read, "Do you want to amend Maine's referendum law so that at least 100 million signatures of Maine voters are required to put a referendum question on the ballot?"

My desire to see Maine referendums go away forever was redoubled when I saw a guy at the Woodfords Congregational Church polling place gathering signatures for yet another referendum on casinos in Maine.

He kept telling people, "It's not a signature supporting casinos, it's just a signature to get it on the ballot." An elderly lady was telling him, "Yeah, for the 50th time!"

Come on, people! Let's let our legislators do the job we elect them for!

We only need about 50,000 signatures to get this going, and I'm sure after this last horrible referendum campaign, we'll have no problem getting them.

Gustin Kiffney

Portland

It's very interesting that the day after the people of Maine voted down the same-sex marriage law that the newspaper reported a defiant Jesse Connolly from the "No on 1" campaign saying, "Supporters of same-sex marriage would keep fighting and working for their cause." Do these people want to force this on us again?

Then, editorial writer Greg Kesich writes that the ballot questions put too much in the voters' hands. Sure, just take the voters out of the picture.

He apparently thinks that some of the ballot questions are too complex for voters. He wants certain decisions to be made by the governor and Legislature because he says that is why we pay them.

I believe that the people always have to retain the right of a popular vote in case the people whose ideas we voted for decide to abandon those ideas. After all, we are a government of the people.

David Ryder

Portland

Well. The fearmongers have won – for now. "Traditional" marriage will continue as state law – for now.

But if those who voted "yes" on Question 1 think it's over, they'll have to think again. Gay families, despite their continued second-class-citizen status, will not go away (unless, of course, they move to New Hampshire, and who could blame them?).

It is a basic human drive to seek loving partnerships and to nurture children within them, and this will not change. In 1998, we, the citizens of Maine, went to the polls to legalize discrimination against our gay and lesbian neighbors, and, unbelievably, we did it again in 2000.

In 2005, we went back and finally reversed our hateful stance. Let those of us who love our neighbors hope we will not have to go many more years before the citizens of Maine recognize their grave error and extend the protections and dignity of marriage to all of our families. I do have faith it will happen.

Vicky Smith

South Portland

A month ago, I thought my mind was made up. To me, to my philosophy, it was so clear that I was a "No on 1" guy. Besides the issue being reasonable, the campaign itself seemed the most reasonable and rational.

But the recent actions of the "No on 1" campaign have destroyed that simple good will. Our house has been flooded with calls by volunteers. (In addition to all the robocalls.) They'd call at dinner, or at our toddler's bedtime, or naptime. Over and over we'd say, "Look, you've got our vote, and we'd like you to stop calling, please."

We implored them to show simple respect. And of course, a couple days later a new bright-voiced volunteer called yet again. And again a couple days after that, and so on.

Monday, the day before voting, two volunteers made an unauthorized entry into our building and...