The fate of a much-anticipated bill legalizing same-sex marriage in New York remains uncertain, with the state Senate having yet to act on the measure as of early Friday afternoon.
No matter the result, a vote will mark the end of months of political positioning by Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) and legislative leaders, who have been working to secure enough support to pass the legislation.
The marriage-equality bill has considerably more momentum on its side than it did in 2009, when it passed the Assembly but fell in the Senate by a vote of 38 to 24.
Unlike two years ago when the bill was being pushed by then Governor David Patterson (D), his successor Cuomo carries the weapon of high approval ratings, reaching 61 percent in a recent Quinnipiac poll.
Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage were also boosted when several Democrats who had opposed the measure retired in the 2010 election cycle, which has allowed organizations campaigning for the law to concentrate on a more narrow field of undecided legislators.
The marriage bill’s change of fortune among elected officials has been well-documented, but the growing chances of the legislation passing have also been boosted by a tireless grassroots effort taking place behind the scenes. For months, LGBT-rights and marriage-equality advocates have been campaigning to urge constituents to contact their representatives and voice their support for the bill.
This past weekend, volunteers from the Human Rights Campaign (the nation’s largest LGBT-rights organization), as well as Marriage Equality New York and numerous other regional organizations, hit the pavement in Republican State Senator James Alesi’s Rochester/Monroe County-based district. The volunteers and organizers delivered “over 4,165 postcards, hand written letters and form letters in support of marriage equality” to the Senator’s office, according to HRC’s Backstory Blog. Following these efforts, Senator Alesi announced on Monday that he intended to vote in favor of the Marriage Equality Act, which was introduced by Cuomo on Tuesday, and passed by the lower house on Wednesday night.
Last Sunday the New York Times reported that State Senator Joseph Addabbo, a Democrat from Queens, had been contacted by over 3,100 constituents regarding the same-sex marriage bill - an deluge of input for an the office that says it usually hears from no more than 25 voters on other important pieces of legislation.
On Monday TPM’s Jillian Rayfield reported Addabbo had signaled his support for marriage equality, reversing his position from the 2009 vote.
In addition, HRC in New York recruited over 100 volunteers on Memorial Day weekend and, by June 4th, had sent out roughly 25,000 postcards to elected officials. Marriage Equality New York has been organizing nightly phone banks across the state and “Stop & Dials” in public spaces to make it easier for constituents to contact their legislators.
As of Thursday, 31 Senators had pledged their support for the bill - one short of the 32 needed to pass. With the clock ticking down, advocates on both sides continue to pressure legislators thought to be undecided, such as Republican Andrew Lanza of Staten Island.
In an interview with SILive on Wednesday , Lanza said he “couldn’t possibly feel any more pressure” to pledge his vote.
The bill’s passage in the Senate is still far from assured, but the efforts of grassroots organizations have been effectively targeting undecided districts, helping to push up the number of lawmakers committed to supporting the bill.
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