Texas Voters Approve Ban On Gay Marriage
Texas Voters Approve Ban on Gay Marriage
Texas Voters Overwhelming Approve Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1293867
Nov 8, 2005 — Texas voters Tuesday overwhelming approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, a proposal to repeal a new gay-rights law was trailing in early returns.
In California, voters had a chance to embolden or embarrass Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as they considered four measures he promoted as part of a power struggle with legislators and public-employee unions.
The contest in Texas was decided quickly the ban was receiving more than 74 percent of the votes in early returns. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings.
The campaign had been enlivened over the past week because of a controversial tactic by the amendment's opponents, who argued in recorded phone calls to voters that the measure is so poorly worded that it could jeopardize traditional man-woman marriages. Amendment supporters denounced the effort as misleading.
In Maine, early returns indicated voters were spurning a measure placed on the ballot by a church-backed conservative coalition that would repeal a gay-rights law approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The lawmakers expanded the state's human rights act to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, a step already taken by the five other New England states.
With about 12 percent of the precincts reporting, 57 percent of the voters were voting against the repeal effort.
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