Rural repeal

If Tuesday’s vote proves anything, it is that to win a hotly contested ballot issue in Maine, forget about getting votes in Bangor or Portland and focus on Madawaska, Woodland, Cherryfield and dozens of other smaller communities. Like the defeat of the Compact for Maine’s Forests last November, the vote to repeal the state’s gay rights law was won in the rural parts of Maine.

Even with a strong campaign in these areas, however, the pro-gay rights side would have had trouble selling its message. Voters in this campaign made up their minds early. Leaders of both sides of the gay rights vote agreed early in the campaign that the issue would be decided by turnout. Because the percentage of voters casting ballots was expected to be low, whichever side could rally its supporters would be the winner.

The Christian Civic League, led by Michael Heath, and the Christian Coalition were the more effective. They ran an energetic, spirited campaign that brought God into the debate as often as possible. They made defeating the law a question of morality, a matter of defending church and family against the perceived abomination of homosexuality. The strategy worked, and even though voter activity was low for a major election, the 30 percent turnout for a single issue was better than expected. More than 275,000 people voted Tuesday, compared with the last presidential election, when 575,000 Maine voters cast ballots.

The overwhelming support for the repeal in Maine’s rural communities says a lot about the importance of grass-roots support and shows a different side to the idea of The Two Maines. There are two all right, but the half regarded as better paid and educated doesn’t always get what it wants, and it certainly does not lead the state in deciding ballot issues. Politicians fond of kicking off political campaigns in Augusta might instead put their podium on a flatbed and move it to Meddybemps, then decide based on the reaction there whether it is worth continuing.

The fight for gay rights is not over. The idea behind the law remains as important as ever: Heterosexuals are not denied access to housing, credit or employment because of their sexual orientation; homosexuals should not be either. How easy it is to hide this simple plea for fairness behind the smokescreen of special rights, select biblical quotations and whether voters like the thought of homosexuality.

Gay rights have been debated for more than 20 years in Maine, and supporters already have promised to get a bill submitted in the next session of the Legislature. After their State House rallies and testimony, however, the supporters might want to take their message to the rural parts of the state. It is there that they will win or lose.