The Maine state House voted yesterday in favor of a bill that would allow same sex couples to marry in the state in a 89 to 58 vote. The state Senate voted in favor of the bill last week in a 20 to 15 vote. The Boston Globe reported that the bill will be voted on once more in both the House and the Senate before being sent to Governor John Baldacci.
According to the Associated Press, it is unclear whether Governor Baldacci will sign the bill if it is passed by the legislature. A recent poll showed 47.3 percent of Maine residents support the same sex marriage bill and that 49.5 percent oppose the legislation, reported the Associated Press.
Thousands gathered for a Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill in April and, according to the Bangor Daily News, the crowd gave a standing ovation to the bill’s sponsor, state Senator Dennis Damon.
If the legislation is approved, Maine would be the fifth state to permit same sex marriage in the United States after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Vermont. Similar legislation is currently under consideration in New York and New Hampshire.
