The Daily Circuit

Campaign 2012

A look at three other states with same-sex marriage on ballot

by Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio

11:06 AM, October 26, 2012

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With less than two weeks to go before from Election Day, polls suggest the vote for the marriage amendment in Minnesota will be close. But Minnesota is not the only state where voters will have a ballot measure next month related to same-sex marriage. Three other states have measures on the ballot: Maine, Maryland and Washington state.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama threw his support behind those three measures, which would legalize same sex marriage in those states. On The Daily Circuit Friday, we'll look at what is happening in the other three states and how the question is polling among voters.

In Minnesota, the measure is one of two statewide amendment proposals on the ballot. It would ask voters if they want to add to the state's constitution a definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is currently not allowed under state law, but if the amendment passes, that ban would be cemented in the state's constitution.

Ballot questions in the states will read as following:

MAINE

"Do you want to allow the state of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples?"

Yes

No

MARYLAND

Referendum Petition

Civil Marriage Protection Act (Ch. 2 of the 2012 Legislative Session)

Establishes that Maryland's civil marriage laws allow gay and lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from marrying; protects clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs; affirms that each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith; and provides that religious organizations and certain related entities are not required to provide goods, services, or benefits to an individual related to the celebration or promotion of marriage in violation of their religious beliefs.

For the Referred Law

Against the Referred Law

WASHINGTON

The legislature passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6239 concerning marriage for same-sex couples, modified domestic-partnership law, and religious freedom, and voters have filed a sufficient referendum petition on this bill.

This bill would allow same-sex couples to marry, preserve domestic partnerships only for seniors, and preserve the right of clergy or religious organizations to refuse to perform, recognize, or accommodate any marriage ceremony.

Should this bill be:

Approved

Rejected

BLOG: How Minnesotans talk about marriage

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John Grotzinger, the head of NASA’s Mars Curiosity mission, is interviewed by The Daily Circuit’s Tom Weber for Science Night Minnesota! at The Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota on May 22, 2013. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) John Grotzinger, the head of NASA’s Mars Curiosity mission, is interviewed by The Daily Circuit’s Tom Weber for Science Night Minnesota! at The Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota on May 22, 2013. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) John Grotzinger, chief scientist for the Curiosity mission, explained the process of communicating with the rover on Mars. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) Guests looked at moon rocks provided by the Minnesota Historical Society at Science Night Minnesota. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) 130521_MPRScienceNight_0276 Jaime Upton, 12, middle, and her classmates from the Farnsworth Aerospace PreK - 8 school got a feel for what it's like to be an astronaut by trying to pick up rocks in a simulated lab. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) 130521_MPRScienceNight_0657 John Grotzinger, right, chief scientist for the Curiosity mission, talked with Tom Weber of The Daily Circuit. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) Students from the Farnsworth Aerospace PreK - 8 school tried their hand at launching a puck into orbit. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network) A moon rock, provided by the Minnesota Historical Society, was on display at Science Night Minnesota. (Tim Gruber for the Public Insight Network)

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