Washington

For citizens who are casting votes today in four states – Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington – there is a chance that at least one of those contests will make history as it becomes the first in the nation where voters approve marriage equality at the ballot box and for the first time, minority voters may tip the balance in favor of marriage equality.

It would not be an understatement to say that the future of LGBT equality depends on the outcome of this election. From our nationally elected officials, to the local library board, to the state and municipal referenda, this election is important.

Revised voter laws and closed polling places may present challenges for LGBT people and allies trying to vote. If you experience voter intimidation, it's important to know your rights and protect your vote!

Tomorrow, November 6, is Election Day. Unless you have voted early, or sent in your absentee ballot, we need you to vote. Our elected officials determine the future of LGBT equality for years to come, whether it is a local non-discrimination ordinance, a police force that understands the lives of LGBT people, statewide hate crime legislation, or the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

New England values do include a lot of tradition. But that tradition comes from deeper values. Family. Community. Respect. Dignity. Freedom. Faith. Marriage strengthens families. Strong families strengthen communities. Strong communities endure. And nobody knows that better than we do.

As we get closer to Election Day, and as marriage equality hangs in the balance in Minnesota, Maryland, Maine, and Washington, we turn to voices we trust. More and more pro-LGBT voices of faith are leading the charge to pass marriage referenda, or at least stop the march of discrimination.

GLAAD and Equality Matters today called on the media in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and around the country to bring attention to the falsehoods present in anti-LGBT "scare" ads running in the four states with marriage on the ballot on Tuesday

Given that Maine voters are once again going to be voting on marriage equality at the ballot box, it bears looking at what happened in 2009, when polls indicated that marriage equality would emerge victorious. Why was a higher-than-anticipated turnout bad news? And what lessons can we learn from that to make sure we don't fall into the same trap again?