Politics of Maryland

The Politics of Maryland concerns Maryland, as one of the states comprising the United States, and so is subject to both state and federal politics.

In February 2010, Attorney General Doug Gansler issued an opinion stating that Maryland law should honor out of state marriages with no gay exception. At the time, the state Supreme Court wrote a decision upholding marriage discrimination.

On March 1, 2012, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed the freedom to marry bill into law after it passed in the state legislature. Immediately, anti-gay marriage activists began collecting signatures to overturn the law. The law was scheduled to face a referendum, as Question 6, in the November 2012 election.

In May 2012, Maryland's Court of Appeals ruled that the state will recognize marriages of same-sex couples who married out-of-state, no matter the outcome of the November election.

Voters voted 52% to 48% for Question 6 on November 6, 2012. Same-sex couples began marrying in Maryland on January 1, 2013.

A large majority (57%) of Maryland voters said they would vote to uphold the freedom to marry at the ballot in November 2012, with 37% saying they would vote against marriage for all couples. This is consistent with a January 2011 Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies poll showing 51% support for marriage in the state.

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