Aug 14, 2009  |  By: Chris Johnson  | COMMENTS     

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told the Blade last week during a brief exchange on Capitol Hill that she’s not taking a position on the “people’s veto,” the likely upcoming referendum on her state’s new same-sex marriage law.

Asked whether she would take a position on the referendum, Collins replied: “I’m not. I don’t get involved in state issues.”

In May, Maine became the nation’s fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage. But the possibility of a “people’s veto” threatens the new law. Proponents of the referendum say they submitted more than 100,000 petition signatures July 31 in their attempt to put the law up for a vote on the ballot.

Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has until Sept. 4 to examine the signatures to determine if they are valid, but only 55,087 legitimate names are needed. With such a low threshold, activists are expecting to have a fight at the ballot in November.

Should the “people’s veto” come to the ballot, the measure would be known as Question 1.

An activist working to protect Maine’s marriage law expressed disappointment that Collins isn’t taking a position on the referendum.

Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for “No on 1,” said his campaign hoped the senator would have opposed the referendum as she opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have made a ban on same-sex marriage part of the U.S. Constitution.

“We’re disappointed that Sen. Collins does not see this initiative as an attempt to harm the thousands of loving gay and lesbian couples and their families who live here in Maine,” he said.

In contrast, the activist leading the charge in favor of the “people’s veto” praised Collins’ decision to stay neutral.

Marc Mutty, chair of Stand for Marriage Maine, said he “respects [Collins’] position that she’s going to leave it up to the voters.”

“I think it’s certainly within her prerogative to [not] address issues that are strictly state issues at this point, seeing as she’s a U.S. senator, and wants to leave it up to the voters without tainting them with her opinion,” he said.

There is, however, a precedent for U.S. senators to speak out on marriage referenda in their home states.

Last year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) appeared in an ad to voice her opposition to Proposition 8, which ended same-sex marriage in California. And in 2006, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voiced support in an ad for an amendment that would have banned both same-sex marriage and civil unions in Arizona. The amendment failed that year.

Charles Moran, a Log Cabin Republicans spokesperson, said Collins has a history of not involving herself with state issues and said her lack of a position on the “people’s veto” is consistent with her record.

Moran said that Collins has “been a strong and steady supporter of the LGBT community” and noted she’s supported hate crimes legislation and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, in addition to voting against the Federal Marriage Amendment.

“We hope that her private vote reflects that same commitment to our community when the referendum comes before her,” he said.

The Human Rights Campaign last year endorsed Collins over her Democratic opponent, former Rep. Tom Allen, in her bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Trevor Thomas, an HRC spokesperson, emphasized to the Blade that Collins is not currently an HRC-endorsed candidate, and that while HRC supported her campaigns in 2002 and 2008, she’s not currently running for office.

HRC directly contributed a total of $10,000 to Collins’ re-election campaign last year, according to records on the Federal Election Commission’s web site.

Thomas said HRC’s endorsement process in 2008 “focused on federal issues.” Noting that the bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Maine wasn’t introduced until this year, Thomas said during last year’s endorsement process, HRC didn’t ask Maine’s federal delegation questions on marriage issues specific to the state.

The position of the other Republican Maine senator, Olympia Snowe, is not publicly known. Her office didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D), who signed the marriage law in May, opposes the “people’s veto,” according to Joy Leach, a Baldacci spokesperson. Sources have told the Blade that the only member of Maine’s federal delegation to speak out against the referendum is U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat.