Civil rights of gay and lesbian Maryland and Washington citizens will be up for debate—and a vote—again. Anti-marriage equality forces in both states have reportedly gathered enough valid signatures to put referenda on the ballot, seeking to overturn current gay marriage laws, the Associated Press reports.
Preserve Marriage Washington said Wednesday that it has collected 150,000 valid signatures to put Referendum 74 on the ballot. Only 120,577 signatures were necessary.
“We feel that it’s going to be adequate to get it on the ballot,” Preserve Marriage Washington’s Joseph Backholm said. “We’re quite confident of that.”
Washington United for Marriage spokesman Zach Silk wasn’t surprised.
“We always expected them to reach the number,” Silk said. “We’ve been preparing our campaign to talk to voters. We believe at the end of the day they’ll side with us to uphold the law.”
Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the bill into state law on February 13 of this year after it won final legislative approval from the state House of Representatives on by a vote of 55-43.
Meanwhile in Maryland, the Maryland Marriage Alliance has allegedly submitted twice the needed signatures—113,000–to put the state’s current gay marriage law, which was signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley on March 1, on the ballot in November. Only 56,000 signatures are necessary.
“There are people that are just impassioned about this issue around the state. I think what you’re seeing is, people don’t want a radical redefinition of marriage just on a whim,” Maryland Marriage Alliance Executive Director Derek McCoy said.
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