The Oregon Supreme Court has refused to
hear a challenge to the ballot title for a proposed 2014 referendum
asking voters to legalize gay marriage in Oregon.
The attorney general's office in April
announced its final wording on a ballot title, rejecting a proposal
by the Oregon Family Council, a Christian conservative group opposed
to marriage equality, stating that the wording of the title should
reflect that the measure would require all state agencies to issue
marriage licenses.
The group appealed to the Oregon
Supreme Court.
“That's a standard technique used by
opponents to slow down signature gathering,” Jeff
Maples of The
Oregonian
wrote.
With that legal hurdle cleared, Oregon
United for Marriage, the coalition of groups working to put the
measure on next year's ballot, can begin gathering the 116,284 valid
signatures needed to qualify.
The ballot title reads: “Amends
Constitution: Recognizes marriage between couples of same gender;
protects clergy/religious institutions' refusal to perform
marriages.”
Oregon is the only state so far
committed to a 2014 referendum on the issue. Other states where
activists are considering similar questions include Ohio,
Arizona,
Michigan,
California
and Florida.