Photo by M.V. Jantzen
After the Maryland General Assembly is finished with a bill authorizing the expansion of casino gambling, the issue is headed to the state’s voters on the November ballot. But the prospect of table games and a casino in Prince George’s County is drawing into its wake another hot-button item facing Maryland voters this year—the referendum that would overturn the state’s recent legislation that legalizes same-sex marriage.
Supporters of marriage equality, who hope the hastily organized referendum fails on Election Day, would rather not see the casino measure on the ballot, too. The reasoning is a blunt political calculation that the same voters who would rush to their polling places to oppose a gambling bill would likely also vote to overturn the marriage law. As BuzzFeed reports, one of the leading groups fighting to keep same-sex marriage alive is opposing the placement of a gaming expansion on the ballot.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s lobbying arm mailed out fliers to Maryland voters urging an ballot uncluttered by one contentious social issue that might gin up opposition to another.
But Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the main group working to uphold the same-sex marriage law Gov. Martin O’Malley signed March 1, isn’t thrilled by the Task Force’s injection of gambling politics, BuzzFeed’s Chris Geidner reports:
The Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign took issue with the mailer, with campaign manager Josh Levin telling BuzzFeed, “Turnout in heavily Democratic Maryland will be determined by the presidential race – not any other issue, including gambling should it be on the ballot. Opponents of the gambling expansion are clearly using the marriage issue for their own political gain. What’s important here, however, is that we remain focused on expanding our 14-point lead and growing the momentum for marriage in Maryland.”
…
The mailing is an unusual foray into gambling politics, which is not an issue with which the Task Force has been involved in the past, and the opposition from the group supporting marriage equality in the state raises questions about why the Task Force chose to take on this issue now.
But the Task Force’s worrying might be an exaggeration. Recent polling about expanded gambling revealed that supporters are much more fervent and organized than casino opponents. And, perhaps more importantly to the marriage equality fight, gaming proponents tend to be more supportive of same-sex marriage.
