Same Sex Marriage Passes In the Pine Tree State
For the first time in U.S. history, gay marriage has been put to a vote and the voters have said, “Yes!” Maine is now the sixth state to offer full marriage equality.
Throughout the day, news outlets reported voter turnout and absentee ballots as heavy. Some pegged it at 50% – a high number, especially for an off-year election. South Portland ran out of ballots at 5:30, and had to use photocopies. But Maine’s Question 1, specifically, “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?” is what motivated voters from both sides to the ballot box.
This, following an also historic May 5, 2009 vote by the Maine House, which, by a vote of 89-58, passed the gay marriage bill. The following day, Maine’s Democratic Governor John Baldacci, going against his voiced beliefs but hearing the voice of his own people, signed the bill, which had previously passed the Maine Senate by a 20-15 vote.
Maine’s U.S. Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, voted via absentee ballots, but refused to announce which way they voted on gay marriage.
Then, on May 7, gay marriage opponents began a drive to get the law put on today’s ballot. In what is called a “people’s veto,” Stand For Marriage Maine, a Catholic Church group announced two months later, on July 9, it had the required number of signatures to force a referendum.
Maggie Gallagher’s National Organization for Marriage contributed $1,600,000, more than 60 percent of the funds used, against the gay marriage referendum. Another 20 percent, $550,000, reportedly came from the Roman Catholic Church’s dioceses.
Despite the deep pockets of a few anti-gay marriage benefactors, Protect Maine Equality, which has been working since 2005 to support same sex marriage, raised $4 million for the “No On 1” battle. Protect Maine Equality worked with over forty different groups, including religious organizations, and with thousands of volunteers went door-to-door and made thousands of calls to voters.
Public opinion polls over the past few months ran from 41% to 51% in opposition to a “No on 1” vote, which would return marriage to a one man, one woman status. But those in favor of “No on 1” were much more consistent, ranging only from 46% to 53%.
Although the state capitol of Augusta voted 47% to 53% against marriage, large cities like Bangor and Portland (73% to 27%) voted to support marriage.