The likelihood of an override is high, so Gov. Pat McCrory’s veto of a bill regarding magistrates and marriage may be merely symbolic. But it sends a message to the people of this state and beyond. Not all elected officials are jumping on the conservative bandwagon to fight gay marriage at any cost.

At issue is a bill that would allow magistrates to opt out of performing marriage if they have a religious objection, such as opposing same-sex marriage. The state House approved the bill 67-43 Thursday, with both of Rowan County’s representatives, Carl Ford and Harry Warren, voting yea.

Some might say the legislation itself arises in opposition to the pro-gay-rights bandwagon. The push for equal marriage rights has gained great momentum in the past year, thanks to evolving public opinion and court decisions. Sixty percent of Americans now support same-sex marriage, according to the Gallup Poll, up from 55 percent last year and 27 percent two decades ago.

But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and social conservatives who believe marriage should only take place between man and woman have countered the trend with an any-means-necessary approach — including legislation that would let religious objections shape a government employee’s duties.

People with strong convictions often jump to unfavorable conclusions about those who disagree with them. Evil. Stupid. Sinful. Holier-than-thou. But reasonable people can disagree on important matters.

Reasonable people who voted for Pat McCrory might now stop and think: McCrory opposes same-sex marriage, but he does not believe a person should use religious conviction on that matter as a basis for refusing to perform part of a government-paid job. Magistrates have to marry anyone who fills out the paperwork and meets legal requirements, not just those they believe should get married. The governor is willing to take on his own party — those running the legislature, anyway — on this issue.

In an odd twist — almost an aside — the outcome of this debate could have an impact on Freightliner workers in Rowan County. The Charlotte Observer reported last week that McCrory received a warning letter from John Pope, the chairman of Charter Transporters in Lenoir.

“As a company based here that believes in FULL EQUALITY for our employees,” Pope wrote the governor, “we will not sit idly by and let the rogue legislators of this state ruin the business and employee recruiting opportunities for this state.”