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Question 6 (colloquially called the Maryland same-sex marriage referendum) is a referendum that appeared on the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
ballot for the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of Maryland to allow voters to approve or reject the
Civil Marriage Protection Act Same-sex marriage in Maryland has been legally recognized since January 1, 2013. In 2012, the state's Democratic representatives, led by Governor Martin O'Malley, began a campaign for its legalization. After much debate, a law permitting same- ...
—a bill legalizing same-sex marriage passed by the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
in 2012. The referendum was approved by 52.4% of voters on November 6, 2012 and thereafter went into effect on January 1, 2013.


Ballot measure

The ballot measure read as follows: The choices read as follows:


History

The Civil Marriage Protection Act was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in February 2012 and signed on March 1, 2012, by Governor Martin O'Malley. The
Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
approved the bill by a 72–67 vote, and the
Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...
approved the bill by a vote of 25–22. Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the bill were included to ensure that religious leaders, religiously-controlled institutions, and their programs are legally protected from being required to officiate or provide facilities for a same-sex marriage or couple if they refuse. Opponents of same-sex marriage announced the launch of the petition drive for the referendum two weeks later. "The General Assembly and the governor do not have the final word on marriage in Maryland," said Derek McCoy, executive director of Maryland Marriage Alliance. "The people do." Petitioners submitted more than twice the number of required signatures to place the referendum on the election ballot, and in June, the State Board of Elections announced that enough were validated.


Support and opposition

Support for Question 6 consisted of a coalition of civil rights leaders,
clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, businesses, partners, and politicians known as Marylanders for Marriage Equality. The opposition to Question 6 consisted of religious figures and politicians known as the Maryland Marriage Alliance. Governor Martin O'Malley, a Catholic, led the 2012 campaign for same-sex marriage in Maryland. O'Malley said he concluded that "discriminating against individuals based on their sexual orientation in the context of civil marital rights is unjust" and "treating the children of families headed by same-sex couples with lesser protections under the law than the children of families headed by heterosexual parents, is also unjust." Arguments supporting Question 6 included protecting the children of gay and lesbian couples by affording their parents equal rights under the law, improving quality of life, principles of fairness, civil equality, and highlighting religious protections. Arguments in opposition to Question 6 included protecting children from being taught same-sex marriage in public schools with a focus on "boys can marry boys", preserving parental rights, a traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, and protecting religious beliefs. An official at Gallaudet University, Angela McCaskill, used as an example of religious persecution in a political ad opposing same-sex marriage, opted to have herself removed because it was misleading. McCaskill, who was fired after the university learned that she signed the petition in opposition of Question 6, said she signed solely "because she believed the matter should be voted on." Her personal views on same-sex marriage were unknown. Religious officials, as well as supporters of same-sex marriage rallied for McCaskill and called for her reinstatement, stating that she should not be penalized for her personal views. Several dozen small employers in the state have said that same-sex marriage will be good for business, helping to attract and retain talent.


Fundraising

Advocates for Question 6 raised a total of approximately $4.1 million: contributions from the organizations and individuals under Marylanders for Marriage Equality (78.5%), Human Rights Campaign's National Marriage Fund and Maryland Families PAC (14.2%),
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
's National Voter Fund for Question 6 (5.8%),
Freedom to Marry Freedom to Marry was the national bipartisan organization dedicated to winning marriage for same-sex couples in the United States. Freedom to Marry was founded in New York City in 2003 by Evan Wolfson. Wolfson served as president of the organi ...
's Maryland PAC (0.9%), and Maryland for All Families (0.1%). Opponents of Question 6 raised a total of approximately $1.7 million: contributions from the organizations and individuals under Maryland Marriage Alliance,
National Organization for Marriage The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is an American non-profit political organization established to work against the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. It was formed in 2007 specifically to pass California Proposi ...
(75%), and the
Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight ...
(14.7%). ;Notable Supporters ;Notable Opponents


Opinion polls

Public opinion surveys have reported those in favor of same-sex marriage and those opposed.


Results

On November 6, 2012, the measure was approved by 52.4% of voters. In a statement regarding the election results, Governor Martin O'Malley said "Whether your parents happen to be gay or straight, Democratic, Republican or Independent, your families are equal before the eyes of the law." The leading opposition group said that "No matter how it turns out, there have been thousands of people who are engaged in the process." On November 29, 2012, Attorney General
Doug Gansler Douglas Friend Gansler (born October 30, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 45th Attorney General of Maryland. Gansler previously served as the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1999 to 2007. He won ...
issued a legal opinion stating that court clerks could begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples once the governor certified the election results on December 6, 2012, though they would not become effective until January 1, 2013. 21 out of the 24 counties in Maryland chose to issue the licenses ahead of schedule. An exit poll conducted by AP and Edison Research found: * 7 in 10 young voters, age 29 and under, voted in favor of same-sex marriage. * Almost 6 in 10 of those age 30 to 44 voted in favor of same-sex marriage. * Nearly two-thirds of women with children voted in favor of same sex marriage. * Those over age 45 slightly voted against same-sex marriage. * Nearly two-thirds of those age 65 and older voted against same-sex marriage.


County breakdown


See also

* LGBT rights in Maryland * Minnesota Amendment 1 * Same-sex marriage in the United States


Other same-sex marriage referendums

* Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, 2017 * 2016 Bermudian same-sex union and marriage referendum *
2013 Croatian constitutional referendum A constitutional referendum was held in Croatia on 1 December 2013. The proposed amendment to the constitution would define marriage as being a union between a man and a woman, which would create a constitutional prohibition against same-sex m ...
* Irish same-sex marriage referendum, 2015 * 2015 Slovak same-sex marriage referendum *
2015 Slovenian same-sex marriage referendum A referendum on a bill legalising same-sex marriage was held in Slovenia on 20 December 2015. The bill was rejected, as a majority of voters voted against and the votes against were more than 20% of registered voters. Background On 3 March 2015 ...
* United States: ** Maine: *** 2009 Maine same-sex marriage referendum *** 2012 Maine same-sex marriage referendum ** 2012 Washington same-sex marriage referendum


External links


House Bill 438 – Civil Marriage Protection Act


References

{{LGBT in Maryland LGBT rights in Maryland LGBT law in the United States 2012 in LGBT history Same-sex marriage ballot measures in the United States
Question 6 Question 6 (colloquially called the Maryland same-sex marriage referendum) is a referendum that appeared on the general election ballot for the U.S. state of Maryland to allow voters to approve or reject the Civil Marriage Protection Act—a bill ...
2012 ballot measures Maryland ballot measures