In dramatic votes Tuesday morning, the Vermont House and Senate overrode Gov. James Douglas’s veto of S. 115, the same-sex marriage bill, making Vermont the first state in the country to grant marriage-equality for gay and lesbian couples without court-ordered action.
The House vote was as close as an override can be, 100-49.
Tension was high in the packed House chamber as the clerk called the roll of the 150 members. One member was absent.The state’s constitution sets overrides at two-thirds of the “members present.”
Rep. Shap Smith of Morristown, the speaker, broke from usual practice and cast a vote. The speaker is allowed to do so in veto overrides. His vote brought the total to the two-thirds mark.
When the House convened at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, observers looking to glean what lay ahead focused on which members were absent. As the vote began, attention focused on Republicans who had supported S. 115 but who might switch their vote to sustain Republican Douglas’s veto. Conversely, attention also focused on Democrats who had voted against S. 115 but who might switch their vote to override the governor’s veto, citing legislative prerogative.
Tuesday’s session started with a vocal performance by a Montpelier High School a cappella group. Their performance was cheered by everyone in the chamber -- perhaps as much a testimony to the tension in the chamber as to the quality of the singing. In remarks before the vote, one member spoke to a “degree of stress and anger” in the House.
The vote ended shortly before 11 a.m., and was cherred by the packed galleries.
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