AUGUSTA — The Christian Civic League of Maine and the National Organization for Marriage say they’ve combined forces to defeat the same-sex marriage referendum proposal on next November’s ballot.

The chairman of Protect Marriage Maine, Rev. Bob Emrich, says it will organize groups of different faiths as well as people with no faith traditions at all in opposition to the ballot initiative. Maine voters defeated a gay marriage proposal that was on the 2009 ballot.

Christian Civic League Executive Director Carroll Conley says his group was not a major player in the 2009 campaign, but he believes it can play a major role in the campaign this year.

Paperwork creating Protect Marriage Maine was filed Friday.

Pro-gay marriage activists from 16 organizations have formed the Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition.