Maine’s Marriage Shocker

posted at 9:46 am on November 4, 2009 by Slublog
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Well, shocking to me anyway. The No on 1 campaign (pro-gay marriage) had the money, the superior turnout organization and the state leadership on their side. They were working to defend a law already passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in a solidly blue state. In the days leading up to the election, you couldn’t get away from their ads, road signs or volunteers. I was called at least three times, and approached on the street two others.

And the result?

PORTLAND, Maine — Voters on Tuesday repealed the state’s same sex marriage law after an emotionally charged campaign that drew large numbers to the polls and focused national attention on Maine.

With 87 percent of precincts reporting, the campaign to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law won with 53 percent of the vote vs. 47 percent opposed to Question 1, according to unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News.

According to those unofficial results, gay marriage proponents only won 3 of the state’s 16 counties. In two of those counties, the pro-gay marriage side won by only one point. To show how thoroughly the law was rejected by this liberal state, here are the 2008 presidential vote results, by county:

Using the same color scheme, with red being “Yes” and blue, “No,” here are the 2009 results for question one:

The measure lost in every corner of the state, and turnout was estimated to be over 50%. Nowhere near 2008 levels, but not a typical off-year election, either. Given Maine’s political leanings, this should have been an easy win for gay marriage. That it was the continuation of a 31-state losing streak should give supporters of gay marriage pause. Will it?

Judging by the comments of the ‘No on 1′ campaign leader last night, not so much.

The defenders of Maine’s gay marriage law — which passed the Legislature in the spring but was never allowed to take effect — acknowledged being behind, but held out hope for a bump as the final votes and absentee ballots were counted.

In a defiant speech to several hundred lingering supporters, No on 1 campaign manager Jesse Connolly pledged that his side “will not quit until we know where every single one of these votes lives.”

“We’re not short-timers; we are here for the long haul,” Connolly told the crowd, some of whom wiped away tears as he spoke. “Whether it’s just all night and into the morning, or next week or next month or next year, we will be here. We’ll be fighting, we’ll be working. We will regroup.”

Well, that’s a wonderfully creepy little piece of rhetoric, Mr. Connolly. Thanks. I’m pretty sure he’s just saying they won’t quit until every vote is counted, but his phrasing is…awkward.

Honestly, though, I don’t see how they can fight back on this one. Unlike the California vote, which added language to the state constitution, this was a simple people’s veto. Challenging this in court will be difficult, and putting the issue before the voters again would likely be counterproductive. For now, this issue is dead in the water.

What I find most interesting, based on comments at news stories and on social network sites is that yesterday, when the polls showed a narrow ‘No on 1′ win, I lived in an independent-minded, moderate state. Now it seems we’ve been transformed into a group of backwards, bigoted haters. Funny how that works.

Update – Another thought. As stevegg notes in the comments, it’s not as though Maine was overcome by a wave of conservative voters. On the same ballot, Maine voters rejected a targeted lowering of the excise tax on cars and a taxpayer bill of rights that would have limited state spending, eased access to medical marijuana, and approved more spending on roads. The gay marriage law was rejected not just by the state’s dwindling GOP voter, but by independents and Democrats.

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