The Boston Globe and Boston Herald newspapers reported on Jan. 13 that Senate President Robert E. Travaglini may postpone the Feb. 11 vote on the marriage amendment. Travaglini’s spokesperson Ann Dufresne said that Travaglini will wait until a decision on civil unions comes down from the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). If the SJC fails to issue a ruling before Feb. 11, Travaglini will call off the joint session and not vote on the Marriage Affirmation and Protection Amendment (MA & PA) until a ruling comes down. The SJC could simply hold off indefinitely until after the deadline passes for voting on MA & PA this year and the amendment dies.

Please call Travaglini’s office at 617-722-1500 or send an email to RTravagl@senate.state.ma.us. His office needs to be swamped.

The message is simple: Vote on Feb. 11! Don’t wait for the court to rule on the separate issue of creating civil unions. In March will be the presidential primary, in the summer will be the Democrat National Convention, and in the fall will be statewide elections. Any delay beyond Feb. 11 increases the chances that the marriage vote will get lost in all these shuffles. So calls are critical.

And don’t forget to contact your own legislators to urge their support for MA & PA. Call the Statehouse switchboard at 617-722-2000 to be transferred to your state senator and state representative. Stay on top of the fast-moving marriage developments by visiting www.macathconf.org or calling 617-367-6060.