The citizens of Australia have voted overwhelmingly in favor of same-sex marriage in a nationwide mail-in plebiscite that drew 12,727,920 votes, or nearly 80 percent of the country's electorate.The Aussies follow in the footsteps of three American states -- Washington, Maryland and Maine -- whose 2012 votes made them the sixth, seventh and eighth U.S. states to legalize marriage equality.  Legalization across the country would come later through courts and state legislatures.Ireland voted for marriage equality in a 2015 plebiscite.SeattlePI