After only 12 days, an Oregon petition drive to put the issue of
gay marriage before voters next year has gathered more than one-third
of the signatures needed to reach the ballot box.
According to Oregon Says I Do campaign spokeswoman Amy Ruiz, the
campaign has already collected 42,000 of the 116,284 signatures
needed to qualify for the November 2014 ballot.
She added that some 1,700 volunteers have collected roughly 90
percent of the signatures, with the rest coming from campaign
staffers. Supporters have until next summer to collect the
remaining signatures.
Using volunteers, Ruiz
told The Oregonian, helps the campaign to build its
organization.
If successful, the referendum would reverse the state's 2004
voter-approved constitutional amendment limiting marriage to
heterosexual couples and Oregon would make history as the first state
to do so.
Oregon, which currently recognizes gay and lesbian couples with
domestic partnerships, is not the only state considering repeal.
Efforts are also underway in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Nevada and
Colorado. In all instances except Nevada, citizen initiatives are
being used to put the issue on the ballot.