That didn’t take long. Maine Gov. John Baldacci just signed the same-sex marriage bill, and the push to give citizens the final say is already underway. Seacost: “Unlike New Hampshire, Maine has a mechanism to overturn a law called the ‘people’s veto.’ Opponents must gather signatures of registered voters equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election. If verified, the veto measure is put on the next statewide ballot, with voters either upholding or repealing the law. The secretary of state received an application for a people’s veto on Thursday, [Julie Flynn, deputy secretary of state for the Bureau of Corporation, Elections and Commissions] said. The office has 10 business days to write a legal ballot question and return it to the applicant. The coalition of opponents, including the Catholic diocese of Portland and the Maine Jeremiah Project, must collect 55,087 valid signatures, but in practice need to get more than that in case signatures are disqualified. For all practical purposes, said Flynn, opponents need to collect those signatures by mid-August to get on the November ballot, because they must be certified by town or city clerks first, then by the secretary of state — all by Sept. 4. That leaves 60 days before the Nov. 4 election, time enough for ballots to be printed and to allow for absentee voting.”
People's Veto
Maine’s Marriage Opponents Already on the Case
Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...
We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?
Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated
Alec
There’s absolutely no question in my mind that they will get the required number of signatures. They’ll use the churches, like they always do. So this will be on the ballot in an off year election. The question is, what is the ground game proponents have planned?
Also, the Maine constitution is very strongly worded on equal protection and privacy. I’m kind of surprised no one tried a lawsuit.
Jason
Lynch is the New Hampshire Governor. The Main Governor is Baldacci.
Jason
@Jason: er, i mean the Maine governor!
DeAnimator
Is everyone missing the point that was set in the 60s and oh, I don’t know, a human rights thing- YOU CANNOT VOTE ON A MINORITY’S RIGHTS!
Slippery slope. Soon the poor, racially ‘unpure’, ‘dangerous atheists’, etc will be legislated against.
afrolito
Are there enough blacks in Maine to get the required amount of signatures? If not, i’m sure they can be brought in for a symbolic show of homophobic solidarity.