By Glenn Adams | The Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Couples anxious to wed under Maine’s new gay marriage law may have a long wait.
A formal challenge to it has been filed, setting into motion plans for a possible public vote that could be months or more than a year away.
“We’re very disappointed,” said Steve Ryan of Buxton, who was looking forward to the new law with his partner, Jim Bishop. “We plan to get married as soon as we can. This is going to put our whole life on hold.”
Activists on both sides Thursday started working up strategies for campaigns leading up to a possible November referendum under a state constitutional provision known as the people’s veto.
“The wheels are turning,” Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, Maine’s chief election official, said after opponents filed an application that sets the stage for the challenge process ahead.
The deadline for opponents to collect at least 55,087 signatures will probably fall in mid-September, about the time the gay marriage law is due to take effect.
