On Tuesday, the citizens of the state of Maine gathered at the voting booths to vote in favor or against a referendum that would seal the fate of a same-sex marriage bill. The bill was originally passed by the Maine legislature back in May but was never instituted because of the large number of protests from conservatives in the state.
If the same-sex marriage bill ends up going into effect, it will be the first instance that a state’s electorate sanctioned the idea as opposed to laws being created and enacted strictly by the state’s lawmakers.
The results are expected to be close and tenuous. Matthew Dunlap, Maine’s Secretary of State commented that voters were turning out in extremely high numbers. Prior to Tuesday, over 10% of Maine’s registered voters had already cast their ballot by absentee ballot or early voting.
The nation’s other states that have passed rulings legalizing gay marriage – Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut – have not done so by popular vote, making Maine’s vote a monumental one.
“If we don’t win, then Maine will have its place in infamy because no state has ever voted for homosexual marriage,” Maine citizen Chuck Schott of Portland told the Associated Press.
Many residents are reportedly feeling torn over the issue. Sarah Holman is a Portland resident who had a rigorously conservative upbringing. She had to weigh the beliefs she was brought up with against her own personal beliefs as an adult, eventually voting in favor of the same-sex marriage bill. “They love and they have the right to love. And we can’t tell somebody how to love,” said Holman.
New England is more supportive of gay rights than any other region in the country. If the measure is defeated, it could pose a serious set back for gay rights activists.
Our Take:
It will be interesting to see how this election plays out since it could set a precedent for such laws in other states in the future. This is always a heated topic and most people tend to have a strong opinion one way or the other. Hopefully, whatever the outcome of this election may be, both sides can accept the resolution.
