There’s little doubt that Maryland will give its electoral votes to President Obama tomorrow, or that Ben Cardin will win another term in the U.S. Senate. Same predictability goes for most of the state’s U.S. House races.
Outside the question over an expansion of casino gambling, no item on Maryland ballots will be closely watched tomorrow as Question 6, which, if passed, will uphold a law passed earlier this year granting marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the law on March 1, but the occasion was quickly challenged by a petition led by a group called the Maryland Marriage Alliance. But backers of Question 6 have been waging a promising campaign all year, earning the support of figures like D.C. Mayor Vince Gray, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo.
And with just one night before Marylanders determine whether their state becomes the seventh to grant full marital rights to all couples, backers of the same-sex marriage law are feeling confident.
“I think it’s going to be a close race but we have a close shot of pulling this out,” says Kevin Nix, the spokesman for Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “The final poll will be tomorrow on Election Day.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality spent the day holding a pair of rallies in Baltimore and at the University of Maryland. O’Malley attended both events, as did leaders of the NAACP, a group whose endorsement of same-sex marriage was a key point in the growth of support for the issue. Much of the loudest opposition to Maryland’s marriage law came from religiously conservative African-American leaders, such as State Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr., a Baltimore County Democrat who attempted to silence Ayanbadejo.
“The point of all the speakers was to show the depth and reach of the diverse coalition that’s come together to get Question 6 passed,” Nix says.
Tomorrow, Nix says his group will have upward of 1,000 volunteers working polling places around the state, in addition to one last day of making phone calls and mass emails in search of last-minute supporters. Nix was reluctant to discuss Marylanders for Marriage Equality’s internal metrics, but he said a recent poll by The Washington Post was a solid indicator of where Maryland voters sit on the matter. In that poll, conducted October 11-15, found that 52 percent of voters planned to uphold the same-sex marriage law, while 43 percent opposed it.
“We’re feeling good about tomorrow,” Nix says. “I think we have a good shot.”
