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As an increasing number of same-sex-marriage bans are struck down in the courts, Oregon is poised to be the only state to vote on the issue this year. Organizers on both sides of the issue have been working to get measures ready for the November ballot.

Opponents of gay marriage are working on a watered down version of the one vetoed last week by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Although it would exempt florists, bakers, photographers and others from “supporting same-sex ceremonies in violation of deeply held religious beliefs, ” Teresa Harke, spokeswoman for Friends of Religious Freedom, does not think this discriminates against gays and lesbians.

“Our bill is very narrow,” Harke said. “It only creates a religious protection for individuals who do not want to participate in same-sex ceremonies…. All other nondiscrimination laws would remain intact.”

Shawn Lindsay, a former legislator from Hillsboro who is now general counsel for Friends of Religious Freedom agrees, “This initiative is entirely different from Arizona’s legislation,” he said. He also noted that his group’s measure deals only with commercial services to same-sex weddings or commitment ceremonies. He says the measure includes a provision making it clear that religious institutions and clergy can choose whether to participate in a wedding ceremony or not.

Mike Marshall, campaign manager for Oregon United for Marriage, said he isn’t buying Harke’s or Lindsay’s arguments. “As soon as we allow corporate entities to decide whom they serve,” he said, “we’re legalizing discrimination.” He said he was confident Oregonians would reject such a measure once they were given more information about it.

Peter Zuckerman, spokesman for Oregon United for Marriage, said recent polling shows that 55 percent of Oregonians support “the freedom to marry.”  The poll was released the same day Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the state would not defend its ban on same-sex marriage. The ban, she said in court documents, “cannot withstand a federal constitutional challenge under any standard of review.”

It’s still unclear yet if the measure from Friends of Religious Freedom will make the ballot. They cannot begin widespread signature gathering until after they get a ballot title, something that could still take several weeks. Once the title is approved, the group has until July 3 to collect 87,213 signatures.

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Carrie Stone