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Voters in the most pro-gay marriage part of the country repeal a state law allowing it
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Maine voters reject same-sex marriage
Voters in Maine have repealed a state law that would have allowed gay couples to marry. In those precincts that have reported results (87%), 53% voted against allowing same-sex marriage, in a "people's veto" of a law passed this spring.
The New England state had legalised gay marriage in May, the sixth to do so, and the law was to come into effect on September 12, but it was put on hold after conservative and religious organisations launched a petition calling for it to be repealed in a referendum.
The rejection is a significant set-back for the American gay rights movement, particularly because, apart from Iowa, all of the states currently allowing same-sex marriage are also in New England, long recognised as the region of the country most supportive of the measure.
In every case, same-sex marriage in those states was either enacted by the legislature or through judicial action, and in contrast, when given the opportunity to vote, in 31 states, the electorate have approved gay marriage bans. A vote in favour in Maine would have been the first time same-sex marriage had been approved by the electorate. The combination will have given ammunition to opponents of same-sex marriage who say that Americans have always voted to restrict the institution to a man and a woman.
Maine's result is similar to that in California last year, when voters narrowly approved Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to a man and a woman, overturning a judicial decision that had briefly legalised gay marriage.
The chief organiser of the anti-gay marriage campaign, Frank Schubert, who was also the PR strategist for supporters of Proposition 8, said: "The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation."
Jesse Connolly, manager of the pro-gay marriage campaign, said: "We're in this for the long haul. For next week, and next month, and next year - until all Maine families are treated equally. Because, in the end, this has always been about love and family and that will always be worth fighting for.
"I'm proud of this campaign because the stories we told and the images we shared were of real Mainers - parents who stood up for their children, and couples who simply wanted to marry the person they love."
