Washington, Maryland, Maine narrowly redefine marriage: Minnesota vote too close to call

November 6, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to early poll results, supporters of same-sex “marriage” are set to win in three states where the issue was put before voters in Tuesday’s election – spelling the end of an unbroken winning streak for traditional marriage when put to a popular vote.

Meanwhile, the fate of an amendment to amend the Minnesota constitution to ban same-sex ‘marriage’ is too close to call at the time of this writing.

Prior to Tuesday’s election, voters in 32 out of 32 states where marriage had appeared on the ballot had opted to protect the traditional definition of marriage.

In Maryland, where the legislature voted to redefine marriage to include persons of the same sex, citizens successfully petitioned for the issue to be put to a popular vote.  Question 6 was passed Tuesday with 52% voter support. The measure allows “gay and lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from marrying.”

In Washington, Referendum 74 appears to be ready to pass, maintaining a lead of 51.79% at the time of this writing. It will “allow same-sex couples to marry, preserve domestic partnerships only for seniors, and preserve the right of clergy or religious organizations to refuse to perform, recognize, or accommodate any marriage ceremony.” However, supporters say that the result of the vote is still too close to call for sure.

In Maine voters voted on the question: “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples?”  Voters decided with a 53.2% majority that it should be so. 

Minnesota voters voted Tuesday on the question, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?” Currently that vote is too close to call, although “yes” votes are trailing. However, even if the measure fails, same-sex “marriage” remains illegal in the state. Instead the vote would simply suggest a lack of voter will power to further strengthen protections for marriage.

Desperate to win their first statewide victory with voters, homosexual activists have outspent supporters of traditional marriage in every state where the issue appears on the ballot.

“The reality is, they’re spending 11-to-one against us in some of these states,” National Organization for Marriage president Brian Brown told Politico earlier this week. “That’s different because it makes it harder for us to get our message out.”

Supporters of homosexual “marriage” are also riding the wave of President Obama’s recent endorsement of their cause, after years of claiming to support marriage as between a man and a woman.

Today’s outcomes may have national implications in the face of two looming Supreme Court battles over the issue. In the month ahead, the Court will hear challenges to both the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, a ballot measure that repealed California’s same-sex “marriage” law.

Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington, DC currently permit so-called same-sex “marriages.”  Prior to Tuesday, gay “marriage” was only introduced through the courts or legislatures.

However, despite the setback for true marriage defenders, 30 states currently explicitly definemarriage has between one man and one woman in their state constitutions, presenting a formidable barrier to the advancement of the homosexualist agenda.