m******1
发帖数: 19713 | 1 The Maryland Board of Elections has certified a petition from marriage
equality opponents that will put the law to voters in a referendum this
November.
According to the Baltimore Sun, “The Maryland Marriage Alliance submitted
162,224 signatures to repeal the law — the most turned in on any referendum
issue in recent memory. The Board of Elections stopped verifying after
approving 109,313 of them.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the coalition working to uphold the law,
anticipated that opponents would qualify the measure for the ballot. The
state required 55,736 valid signatures.
Defenders of the marriage equality law are working to reach African-
Americans, who make up around one-third of voters in the state. A Public
Policy Poll survey in May found that 55% of African-American voters favored
marriage equality, a substantial increase attributed to President Barack
Obama’s announcement of support and an endorsement from the NAACP. The
civil rights organization is headquartered in Maryland, and it is working
with the coalition.
Marylanders for Marriage Equality released an online-only video ad Tuesday
that featured African-Americans discussing why they were voting to uphold
the law. Julian Bond, chairman emeritus of the NAACP, issued a preview
statement for the video.
“Marylanders will be casting a vote on the law – not on their faith.
Equality under the law means equality for all, not just some,” he said. “
If we're all going to be equal in America, being able to marry the person we
love and raise a family is an opportunity we all should have.” |
|
