Vermont Governor Douglas Vetoes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Vermont Freedom to Marry issued a press release stating that the bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Vermont was promptly vetoed late this afternoon by Gov. Douglas when it arrived on his desk. The override votes in both the Senate and House are expected to take place tomorrow, April 7th, sometime before lunch. In order for the Vermont legislature to override the governor's veto, the bill must have the support of at least 2/3rds of each house. The Senate had enough supporters as of the original vote on the bill two weeks ago. The House is less certain, as the initial vote last week was five shy of reaching the necessary 2/3rds. At least one house member who supports marriage equality was not present for last week's vote. Several other house members have stated that they will change their vote in an attempt to override the veto, citing discontent with what they see as the governor's lack of respect for legislators.

Burlington Free Press article on the veto, complete with PDF link to a statement from the governor.

As a side note, the head of Ben & Jerry's is among 17 Vermont CEOs to sign a petition urging the state legislature to override Gov. Douglas' veto.