 Governor O'Malley signed the bill on March 1, 2012.In June 2012, referendum supporters submitted 109,313 valid signatures to the State Secretary, more than the 55,736 required for a ballot in Maryland.The language of Referendum Question 6 informed voters that the "Civil Marriage Protection Act" would allow same-sex couples to obtain a civil marriage license, protect clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs, and affirm that each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith.