MAINE: Another Run At Marriage?

Buoyed by the result in New York, some activists in Maine say they are considering bringing same-sex marriage back to the ballot in 2012. In 2009 Maine’s voters rescinded same-sex marriage mere months after it had been approved by the state legislature.

Since the defeat, gay rights advocates said they have been working behind the scenes to try to change public opinion and said same-sex marriage could come up for a vote again in 2012 in the form of a citizens’ initiative. “We do have that option, and we’ll decide once we get to the point where we’ve had enough conversations and we believe the majority of voters support us. And I will say that people are changing, people are moving, people are changing their minds on this issue,” said Betsy Smith with Equality Maine.

If another ballot campaign is launched, activists must collect 57,000 petition signatures by this January.