Battle Continues Over Massachusetts Marriage Laws

Special Report - August 19, 2008
A Massachusetts group, Mass Resistance, has filed papers with the Massachusetts Secretary of State to put one aspect of same-sex marriage to a vote on November’s General Election ballot. On July 31, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law S800, which repeals a 1913 law preventing couples from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would be invalid in their home state. The bill passed the Massachusetts legislature July 29, subject to a usual 90-day waiting period to be effective. This waiting period allows opponents of any given legislation up to 90 days to gather and present the necessary signatures to place a question on the ballot for a vote by the public. According to the bill history, however, the day after the bill passed the legislature, that body voted to insert an emergency preamble in the bill to make the repeal effective immediately.

On August 13, Mass Resistance, which opposes same-sex marriage and the repeal of Massachusetts’ 1913 statute, filed the initial papers to put the question of that repeal on this November’s ballot. If the petition is approved by the Attorney General, Mass Resistance has until September 5 to gather and submit 33,297 valid signatures in support of the ballot question.

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