Maine election officials have drafted the question that will appear on the state referendum ballot if opponents of the recently enacted same-sex marriage bill collect enough signatures. 55,087 to be exact.
The oddly-phrased question that would be put to Maine voters:
“Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?”
That “and” between “marry and allows individuals” does weird things to my brain. Shouldn’t it be a “but?” As it stands, this carefully crafted question could also mean “Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry, and do you also want to reject the law that allows religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?”
It’s like they tried to squeeze two questions in there, with each one requiring the opposite answer.
In any event, these anti-gay Maine people, who have 90 days from the day the legislature adjourns to get their signatures, are battling against the same Nate Silver deadline as that outdated Pennsylvania state senator — Nate Silver predicted that 2009 would be the last year that a gay marriage ban would pass in Maine.
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