SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The success of state constitutional amendments on marriage that appeared on the ballot Tuesday in Arizona, California, and Florida demonstrates that voters want to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman, according to attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund.
"Arizona, California, and Florida voted to join with 27 other states across America that have amended their constitutions to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. These results provide even more evidence that the simple and timeless value of marriage unites people of all ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum.
"The principles of marriage transcend the personalities of the campaign. Voters do not want the will of the people thwarted by courts or legislatures that listen more to political special interests than they do to them. ADF will continue its work to defend marriage in all 50 states," Raum said.
Voters in all three states adopted their amendments, each of which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, bringing the total number of states with such amendments to 30. Florida’s amendment succeeded handily, overcoming a requirement in that state that 60 percent of the voters voting in the election approve it. The success of Arizona’s amendment reverses a very narrow loss in 2006 for a different marriage amendment effort in that state.
ADF attorneys were involved in defending California’s Proposition 8 from attack prior to the election (
www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4638 and
www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4611) and also defended California’s Defense of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, before it was struck down by the California Supreme Court (
www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4547).
The adoption of Proposition 8 returns to California a one-man, one-woman definition of marriage, permanently overruling the California Supreme Court’s radical redefinition of marriage in May. As a consequence, the status of existing same-sex "marriage" licenses is uncertain.
· In Arizona, voters approved Proposition 102 by 56.5 percent to 43.5 percent.
· In California, voters approved Proposition 8 by 52 percent to 48 percent.
· In Florida, voters approved Amendment 2 by 62 percent to 38 percent.
Above figures accurate as of release time. More information and statistics at
www.domawatch.org.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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