Wednesday, November 7, 2012
While proponents were saying the race was still too early to call, the Associated Press called the race shortly before 2 a.m. The vote means the state constitution will not define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
The Minnesota Marriage Amendment has been rejected. The campaign to amend the Minnesota state constitution to limit the definition of marriage to strictly between heterosexual couples was defeated Tuesday by more than 51 percent of a statewide vote. With 92 percent of state precincts reporting, the Associated Press reported shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday that Amendment 1—informally known as the Minnesota Marriage Amendment—had failed: "Vote No" won. Speaking to a cheering crowd of hundreds at St Paul's River Centre, Richard Carlbom, the campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, told audiences that Minnesota was the first state in the nation to reject a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage at the ballot …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Letter writer says amendment support rooted in fears about loss of religion—and empathetic conversations are the way around that.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
To the Editor, For more than a year I and thousands of other Minnesotans have been holding conversations about the marriage amendment. We lay out our most rational arguments, citing research in biological as well as social science demonstrating that same-sex orientation is a benign, natural variation in human sexuality. We offer stories of real people who would be hurt by permanently restricting the definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples. Many people have been persuaded that voting "no" is the right thing to do. Staunch supporters of the amendment, however, remain unmoved. They are not pondering our rational arguments. They are not empathizing with the hardships and harassment that gay people still endure in many places in our …
Poll conducted from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25
According to a new poll commissioned by the Star-Tribune, support and opposition to the marriage amendment is essentially tied. The amendment would write a prohibition on legal recognition of same-sex marriages into the state constitution, reflecting current law. Some 48 percent of a poll of 800 likely Minnesota voters told the Minnesota Poll's questioners that they would be voting to pass the amendment. About 47 percent said they opposed the measure, and 5 percent said they were still undecided. Respondents were reached using both cell phones and landlines. The poll's margin of error was 3.5 percent, plus or minus. September's Minnesota Poll also showed a deadlock between the two sides. As the October Minnesota poll was conducted from Oct…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Participants were urged to turn the same-sex marriage debate toward the personal.
Lakeville resident Veda Kanitz' favorite sister is in a committed relationship with another woman. Paul Melchert met his partner James eight years ago and fell in love while training for a triathlon. It was stories like these that marriage amendment opponents shared during a town hall meeting in Eagan on Tuesday evening. The meeting, organized by Minnesotans United for All Families and held at their Eagan office, was designed to present and refute the arguments of Minnesota for Marriage, the group supporting the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Kate Brickman, the press secretary for Minnesotans United, said she wanted to bring together parents, citizens and experts (a pediatrician spoke at the …
Monday, October 1, 2012
Race is neck-and-neck.
With polls suggesting Minnesota voters are tied neck-and-neck on whether or not to insert a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution, groups on both sides are battling it out on the airwaves. According to the Star-Tribune Minnesota for Marriage, the group backing the ban, launched their first television ads this week. The paper says it is not yet sure how long and where in Minnesota the ads will run. Minnesotans United for All Families, the group trying to stop the amendment, has already launched three television ads in Minnesota. Take a look. Do you think they'll influence voters one way or the other?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Facebook app lets amendment opponents predict votes.
This week, conservatives pushing a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage have been decrying what they say is "intimidation" from their opponents. At issue is a new Facebook app from Minnesotans United for All Families, called "The kNOw Tool." According to a story in CityPages, prominent amendment supporters are taking to social media, saying the tool will let MN United campaign workers bully and badger same-sex marriage opponents. In an interview with Patch, an MN United spokesperson categorically rejected the claims from Minnesota for Marriage spokesperson Andy Parrish and amendment backer state Rep. Mary Franson. The app essentially lets MN United supporters participate in a phone bank from the comfort of their own …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Issue comes before voters in November.
A new set of survey results released Wednesday morning suggests support for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage rests on a knife's edge. The poll, by Public Policy Polling (PPP), said 48 percent of Minnesotans support the amendment and 47 percent oppose it, with less than sixty days to go until the November election. State law already bans same-sex marriage. "In January we found 48/44 support for the ban, while in June we found 49/43 opposition," said a statement from the pollsters, published on PPP's website. "It looks like a toss up." Opinions broke down by age group thus: Women (52/41), Democrats (78/16), and voters under 45 (50/45) all oppose the ban. Men (55/41), Republicans (80/17), independents (51/42), and …
Measure is on the November 2012 ballot.
Update 12:45 p.m. 9-12-12: A new poll from Public Policy Polling shows support for the amendment at 48 percent and opposition against it at 47 percent. With a new poll suggesting a same-sex marriage ban could pass this November, supporters of a proposed state constitutional amendment doing just that may have walked around with an extra spring in their step on Tuesday. Current state law already bans same-sex marriage. According to the KSTP/SurveyUSA Poll, support for the measure sits at about 50 percent, and opposition against the amendment at about 43 percent. The remaining eight percent or so are undecided, the station said. The station also broke down poll results by geography: The amendment is favored in all regions of the state, with …
Friday, August 31, 2012
Minnesotans United for All Families and Minnesota For Marriage are both jockeying for attention on Cooper Street at the Minnesota State Fair.
Foreshadowing what could be a close vote this November, the main groups rallying for and against a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota are within shouting distance at the State Fair. Minnesotans United for All Families, which opposes the amendment, and Minnesota for Marriage, which supports it, are both jockeying for hearts and minds with booths on Cooper Street between Wright and Dan Patch avenues. Casey Warren, of Bloomington, said on Wednesday that she came out to support the amendment because of her 47-year marriage and six children. She worries what effect gay marriage will have on generations to come. “To me it’s about the children. If you allow the children to be part of same sex parents, they’re …
Monday, July 2, 2012
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced the new language Thursday.
Late last week, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced the title that will introduce the same-sex marriage amendment on the November ballot. He chose the words, "Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples." According to the Star Tribune, amendment supporters wanted the title, "Recognition of marriage solely between one man and one woman." Chuck Darrell, a spokesman for Minnesota for Marriage, the amendment proponents, told the Star Tribune that Ritchie's language choice "is a perfect example of why we need the marriage amendment—you can't trust politicians to allow the law. They are beholden to special interests, like gay marriage activists, and they will force their agenda without the people having their day. The only way…
Donald Lee
6:31 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2013
The left has its own stereotypes that it uses to justify its agenda, equally untrue. more ›