Michigan residents deserve another chance to vote on same-sex marriage

Before the ruling was handed down, Democrats, including local legislators Jeff Irwin and Adam Zemke of Ann Arbor, introduced a package of bills to allow same-sex marriage in Michigan. If passed, along with similar measures introduced in the Senate, the legislation would put the question of same-sex marriage where we think it belongs, before voters.

It’s been more than nine years since Michigan residents last voted on this issue. In 2004, they voted overwhelmingly to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman and to ban other unions.

A lot has changed since then. The tide of public opinion in the nation, as well as in Michigan, has clearly been moving toward acceptance of gay marriage. In May, a poll conducted by Glengariff Group Inc. found More than 56 percent of respondents in Michigan said they support same-sex marriage, up 12.5 percentage points from last year, while 54 percent said they favor replacing the state's constitutional ban with language allowing same-sex marriage.

If legislators in both the House and Senate pass bills amending the state constitution by a two-thirds majority, voters will get another say on the matter.

Other bills in the legislative package would recognize same-sex marriages that were licensed in other states, make other changes directly to Michigan's marriage laws regarding who is allowed to marry, and call on the U.S. Congress to repeal DOMA, which allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed under the laws of other states.

We urge lawmakers to let voters have their say on this important issue once again.