|
Tuesday marks the start of a month-long voluntary vote that could eventually legalize same-sex marriage in Australia. As many as 16 million Australians will receive a mail-in ballot asking them to vote either "yes" or "no" on the issue and mail it back by November. If a majority of ballots are marked "yes," Parliament will follow through with a formal vote in December. A new opinion survey released Tuesday indicated 70 percent of those questioned said they support same-sex marriage. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who says he will mark "yes" on his ballot, launched the voluntary mail-in vote after lawmakers rejected a plan to hold a compulsory vote known as a plebiscite. Gay rights advocates unsuccessfully challenged the plan in Australia's High Court, arguing that Turnbull's government does not have the authority to spend $97 million on the mail-in ballot. Advocates also expressed fears the vote could expose Australia's gay, lesbian and transgender community to harm. They are demanding lawmakers hold a simple up-or-down vote. 澳大利亚星期二开始了为期一个月的自愿投票，最终可能会促成澳大利亚同性婚姻合法化。 多达1600万澳大利亚人将收到邮寄选票，要求他们就同性婚姻合法化问题表明支持还是反对，并在11月底前寄出选票。如果大多数人表示支持的话，澳大利亚议会就要在12月举行正式投票。 | 
