The Washington, D.C. Board of Elections is being sued for not letting voters have a say on a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage.

The board issued an order saying a vote would be discriminatory against gay couples.

A group known as Stand for Marriage D.C. has promoted an initiative that would recognize marriage as only between a man and a woman. It sued the election board Wednesday, saying it can not deny D.C.'s citizens the right to vote.

Stand for Marriage leader Bishop Harry Jackson, says the group will hold a rally December 8 to get Congress to veto the board's order.

"We'll be asking to veto," he said. "We're fighting on both sides, trying to do here in the city."

The U.S. constitution specifically grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District of Columbia in all cases.