Same-sex Marriage Bans Pass in CA, AZ, FL

A constitutional amendment effectively banning same-sex marriage appeared to pass in California with most of the vote counted Wednesday, while voters in Arizona and Florida Tuesday approved similar measures. In California, Proposition 8, which was placed on the ballot by citizen initiative, amends the state constitution to provide that "[o]nly marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." As of 11:30 AM PST Wednesday, the unofficial results for Proposition 8 (with 24,584 of 25,423 polls reporting) were:

Yes - 5,235,486 - 52.2%

No - 4,800,656 - 47.8%

Under the California Constitution the amendment takes effect the day after the vote approving it. It will effectively overturn May's decision by the California Supreme Court striking down a ban on same-sex marriage as violating the equal protection provisions of the California Constitution. The measure has generated more than $60 million in contributions to committees representing both sides of the issue -- a figure believed to be a U.S. record. The San Francisco Chronicle has more.