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PORTLAND — Voters vetoed Maine’s same-sex marriage law Tuesday, dealing a blow to those hoping to affirm gay marriage by popular vote for the first time.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Yes on 1 had 52.81 percent of the vote and No on 1 had 47.19 percent.
Yes on 1 declared victory shortly after midnight, when it became apparent No on 1 could not overtake its lead.
“What the people of Maine had to say is that marriage matters and that it’s between a man and a woman,” said Marc Mutty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine, in a speech.
“It has been the little guy against the big guy in terms of resources — human resources, financial resources — and we prevailed because the people of Maine, the silent majority, the folks back home, spoke with their vote tonight,” Mutty said.
Yes on 1 gathered at the Eastland Park Hotel in Portland and at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer; supporters of No on 1 gathered at the Holiday Inn in Portland. While a few dozen supporters attended the Yes on 1 party in Portland, several hundred attended the No on 1 party, which featured a live band and a disc jockey later in the night. Some supporters danced and drank, while others watched a live feed of the results in front of two large screens.
The Yes on 1 parties were linked by live video feeds, and the two locations competed several times to see who could chant “Yes on 1” the loudest.
Early results showed No on 1 in the lead by a wide margin, but as the night wore on and rural precincts started to report results, No on 1’s lead shrank steadily. Shortly before 10:30 p.m., Yes on 1 took the lead for the first time, to cheers from its supporters.
The No on 1 campaign did not concede immediately. Mark Sullivan, spokesperson for Protect Maine Equality, said shortly after midnight the campaign intended to continue to count the vote well into the day.
But around 2 a.m., No on 1 seemed to concede. In a statement on No on 1’s Web site, Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for Protect Maine Equality, thanked supporters and vowed to continue the fight for same-sex marriage.
“We’re in this for the long haul,” the statement said. “For next week, and next month, and next year — until all Maine families are treated equally. Because in the end, this has always been about love and family and that will always be something worth fighting for.”
Reverend Bob Emrich said in Yes on 1’s victory speech that the campaign was never about hating gay couples.
“There are some bridges that need to be built, some fences that need to be mended. We need to reach out to some people who may very well have been doing what they believed in. We disagreed with them very strongly, obviously, but we need to reach out to them,” Emrich said.
“The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across this nation,” said Frank Shubert, Yes on 1’s campaign manager.
Schubert said polls had Yes on 1 up by about 6 percent going into Election Day, so he was confident throughout the day, even as early returns had No on 1 up.
Scott Fish, communications director for Stand for Marriage Maine, said Question 1 passed because voters got away from the spin and realized what was in the bill.
“I think they saw that whatever inequities there are in domestic partnerships — gay or straight — that they realized that these can be dealt with through lawmaking, that we don’t have to redefine marriage to do that, and when they realized that the pending bill would have redefined marriage they didn’t like it,” Fish said.
Supporters of Question 1 said they had no immediate plans for the future. Schubert said he did not think same-sex marriage was likely to come up again in the future.
“I think the other side will try and push it, but I don’t think the legislature or the governor is going to turn their back on what the people have decided,” Schubert said.
Maine was the 31st state to vote down same-sex marriage at polls; no states have approved gay marriage by popular vote.
Maine and Rhode Island are now the only states in New England where same-sex marriage is not legal. New Hampshire is set to start marrying same-sex couples in January.
—
Dylan Riley contributed to this report.
Related Posts:- Maine to vote on gay marriage in Nov. (September 10, 2009)
- Wilde Stein remains vigilant in the face of gay marriage setback (November 5, 2009)
- Airwaves heat up over same-sex marriage (October 5, 2009)
- Editorial: Opponents of same-sex marriage don’t have a leg to stand on (October 8, 2009)
- No on 1 ahead in fundraising, finance reports show (October 18, 2009)
I’m absolutely speechless at these alleged results, I thought Maine was better then this.
But the fight is far from over, gay, straight, and all people who support love will not go away just because ignorant and scared people want them too. Equality, love, and reason will prevail, if not in this vote, then in others.
Carry on.
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This result is of course terrible, but remember the words of Dr. King: the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Only 50 years ago interracial marriage had broad opposition from all areas of the population. Progress never comes fast enough, however…
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Hey olbermann and maddow the MSNBC floor of the newsroom called and said to pick up your faces! LOL!! Thank you Maine.
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I am writing from California where we lost the battle last year for Marriage Equality. We are not going to get our civil rights by a vote of the people. If we left it to the people we might still have slavery in this country. The majority has never given an oppressed minority any civil rights. Our battle has to continue in the state and federal courts and through the state and federal houses. So sorry Maine!
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that photo is nauseating.
why would people feel any joy in personally oppressing partnerships that they will never be directly affected by? the conservative catholicism is old and tired and so is the tunnel-vision of a world with a singular lifestyle. bigotry and ignorance will linger as long as they want to convince themselves that a multitude of life and culture doesn’t exist outside the womb of hatred.
but soon they will realize that you can’t vote away an entire community of people, and they will have to face the reality of culturally-rich landscapes and maybe you’ll have us all putting energy into greater things rather than focusing on issues like marriage. it shouldn’t even be an issue. get over yourselves, the heteronormative lifestyle isn’t so glamorous and i will never back down from who i am to be ‘accepted/tolerated’ by bigots and mis-information.
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Robert Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 2:11 am
If you take a 2nd look at the picture, those people are actually crying, not rejoicing. They are on our side
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I live on the other side of the world yet this is actually so depressing. i cried the day prop 8 was upheld but this time i am just so angry. WHY do people do the things they do? I know one day there will be equal rights for everyone, but why the delay, GIVE THE PEOPLE THEIR RIGHTS!!!
ignorance sux
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The only way to fight hate is with more ferocious hate.
RESIST!
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It’s good to see the people of Maine stick with the values this fine country was founded on. One nation under GOD….and it’s good to see that the people of Maine have followed the laws ordained by God, not the laws ordained by man. This is not about love and equality, it is about perversion, and anyone that lives their lives by Biblical standards could see that if they voted NO, Maine would have become a modern day Soddom and Gomorrah.
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Randy Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
AMEN on that!!
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Ryan Page Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
People like you make me furious.
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Galena Reply:
November 6th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Actually, “under God” was added to the pledge in 1954, so we have not always been “one nation under god.” And the supreme court has ruled that compelling children to say the pledge is unconstitutional based on separation of church and state. Just as it will rule that disallowing gay and lesbian people to marry is unconstitutional based on the denial of “equal protection under the law.” Remember a little thing called the fourteenth amendment??
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This country was not founded for God, many came here to escape religious persecution. Looks like it caught up with them.
But ah well, all this does is draw more and more reasonable young people away from the faith. Good job.
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Wow this is embarassing, I thought we were better than this. It’s sort of sad realizing that half your state is against equality… oh well they’re on the losing side anyway.
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You No on 1 people are sooo damn ignorant!! At any rate you LOSE and now my kid won’t have to hear the teachers tell her that mom and mom or dad and dad is normal, or right, or equal……EQUAL????? what do you morons think your trying, comparing this crap to Dr. King and all he stood for??? Go ahead and rewrite the Bible while your at it too!!….oh wait, most of you are either athiest or only believe in parts of the Bible that are convienient for you!
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Rebeca Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
actually.. you are the one picking and choosing which parts of the Bible you wish to follow – Such as stoning your wife for cheating or not eating shellfish or not mixing your fabrics. YOU choose. And, secondly, just because yes on 1 won this time, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop living my life. Our children are still in school, we still work and live next to you. That does not and will not change.
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Randy Reply:
November 6th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
stoning your wife for cheating, not eating shellfish or not mixing your fabrics??????? I shouldn’t be surprised thats all you have for a lame argument against us moral, yes people…..then again you have NOTHING to argue! Go live your condemned lifestlyes and leave the sanctified union of a man and woman alone! Founded by God no less! I’m not gonna judge you but I SURE would NOT wanna be in your shoes come judgement day!
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Thanks, Randy, for proving how dumb you Yes on 1 supporters are.
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Randy Reply:
November 6th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Morally right is dumb??? wow you musta fell off the retard truck! Fuckin’idiot!
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Ryan Page Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
The biggest problem about the internet is that I’m not sure if you are just a troll, or are really as unintelligent as you are acting.
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Galena Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Oh so now you’re not just biased against people born gay but also people born with the devastating disability of mental retardation?? When does it end?
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I think one clarification should be made:
This country was not founded as ONE nation under god. It was many divided nations; the crudest, most exploitative nation simply ‘won’ out (Euro-American patriarchy). There were people here before we even got here and proclaimed ‘out’ god as the god of the land! If one wants to argue that we’re a nation under god, they should also realize that we brought this ‘god’ here through genocide, foolery, betrayal, and exploitation.
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That’s not my only argument. I was only replying to your statement of \only believe in parts of the Bible that are convenient for you\.
And I am not asking to be permitted into your religious institution, or even for you to change your opinion as to what I am or am not going to be judged upon one day (which, by the way, Jesus stood up for the social outcasts.. but that’s another debate I do not wish to get into with you.. rather agree to disagree there). All I am asking for is the federal rights and protections that are only granted to people through \marriage\. That term may have originated as a religious one, but the fact is, we made turned it into a social term as well. And socially, I deserve the same rights as you do, whether you like it or not. Our government was created to protect.. not discriminate.
We will win this battle. It’s just a matter of time. And if I am to be judged, I would rather it be for sticking up for myself and my neighbors. I’ll even fight for your rights. But I would never want my legacy to be one where I’m actively causing pain and hardships on fellow human beings. Never.
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Ignorance and hate still wins in Maine…and they cheer.
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