BOSTON — A successful marriage amendment petition drive in Massachusetts smashed a 20-year-old record for the most signatures ever gathered on a ballot question.
Just before Christmas, Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin certified 123,356 signatures for the constitutional marriage amendment, which essentially would reverse the state court’s 2003 ruling that legalized “gay marriage.” The previous record of 110,645 was set in 1985 on a tax proposal, The Boston Globe reported Dec. 22. The 123,356 certified signatures are fewer than the 147,000 that local election clerks had certified in early December but nonetheless still impressive. The amendment needed only 65,825 signatures.
Pro-family groups originally turned in 170,000 signatures. Invalid ones were tossed out.
The amendment now must garner the support of at least 25 percent of state legislators in two consecutive sessions. If it does, it would go before voters in 2008. The legislature’s first vote is expected in May, the Massachusetts Family Institute said. (TAB)
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