Texas Voters Approve Ban on Gay Marriage

AP ^ | 11/08/05 | David Crary

[AlaninSA]

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.

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.

[deport]

Texas SOS Election returns

Texas Secretary of State

2005 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELECTION

Unofficial Election Results As Of : November 08, 2005 08:27 PM

Our election night returns are updated every five minutes.
This page refreshes every three minutes, or you may click on the "Refresh" or "Reload" button in order to get the current results.

* Turnout is based on the percentage of total votes cast to total registered voters and does not include numbers reported provisionally.

PROP1|PROP2|PROP3|PROP4|PROP5|PROP6|PROP7|PROP8|PROP9

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RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 1 Texas rail facilities funding created
	IN FAVOR			248,625	51.85%	276,750	51.97%
	AGAINST			230,901	48.15%	255,789	48.03%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		479,526		532,539
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.23%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 2 Same sex marriage denied legal status
	IN FAVOR			388,393	75.18%	437,486	76.01%
	AGAINST			128,199	24.82%	138,104	23.99%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		516,592		575,590
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.58%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 3 Economic development programs do not constitute debt
	IN FAVOR			235,190	51.00%	263,865	51.51%
	AGAINST			226,006	49.00%	248,392	48.49%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		461,196		512,257
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.07%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 4 Bail denied for pre-trial release violations
	IN FAVOR			417,207	84.77%	463,999	84.81%
	AGAINST			74,944	15.23%	83,129	15.19%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		492,151		547,128
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.35%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 5 Commercial loan interest rates defined by Legislature
	IN FAVOR			209,010	44.39%	230,881	44.16%
	AGAINST			261,795	55.61%	292,003	55.84%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		470,805		522,884
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.16%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 6 Members added to State Commission on Judicial Conduct
	IN FAVOR			281,578	60.58%	313,113	60.70%
	AGAINST			183,200	39.42%	202,735	39.30%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		464,778		515,848
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.10%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT
Ballot Language for Prop. 7 Line of credit advances under reverse mortgage
	IN FAVOR			277,238	59.13%	307,087	59.02%
	AGAINST			191,649	40.87%	213,243	40.98%
				---------------		---------------
		Total Votes Cast		468,887		520,330
		Early Provisional Ballots Reported		627
		Total Provisional Ballots Reported				57,216
		Precincts Reported		668	of	7,429 Precincts	8.99%
	*	Statewide Turnout		4.14%		12,577,545 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------

RACE	NAME			EARLY VOTES	PERCENT	TOTAL VOTES	PERCENT

[Michael Goldsberry]

LOL

Travis is the ONLY County currently against statewide.

[GregoTX]

Our vote counted today .... polls were wrong again. WTG fellow Texans.

[Past Your Eyes]

Good job, Texans!

[ElPatriota]

There you see? :) Here is something that cheers me up. Althoug I am sorry Kilgore lost, this proposition 2 in Texas, I dare to say is WAY MORE IMPORTANT than Kilgore's lost, because after all Kilgore is just politician that lost an office. But the defeat of proposition 2 in Texas, it was actually a victory of morality over inmorality. The DEVIL has lost another one, inspite of all the 'trickey' of its slaves... and I am also very pleased that it was defeated by sizeable margin!...

You win some and you lose some... and if I would have had the chance to make a choice, I would have wanted this win more than Kilgore's lost (I mean it, although I am not sure about the grammar there - LOL - :)

[Sofa King]

Minus the "controversial tactic" and "misleading" parts, I have no doubt.

[Paleo Conservative]

Yes, as a non-native Texan I really was puzzled by the presence of an item related to Smith County. As if I, a Bexar County resident, really should be determining how the people of Smith County (I don't even know where it is!) should spend their money.

The current Texas constitution was adopted after the post-Civil War Reconstruction, and it reflects the distrust of government at all levels of Texans and other southerners at that time. It goes into quite a bit of detail about how local governments must be organized. It puts lots of restrictions what the state and local governments can do. The reason there have been over 400 amendments made is to give more power to governments at various levels. Without that particular amendment local officials don't have the power to act at all.

[Liberty Valance]

I love Texas.
http://www.turbophoto.com/products/dfw/9.jpg

[txroadkill]

Now all we have to is :
http://www.setlovefree.com/

[Diddle E. Squat]

"Bless their hearts"...

[Michael Goldsberry]

But the defeat of proposition 2 in Texas

Um... it has passed. "Same sex marriage denied legal status"

[sarasmom]

I pointed that out several years ago. But nobody listens...

Same sex marriages could not be "restricted" to practicing homosexuals, that would be discrimination on the basis of sexual preferences.

All that BS about not allowing a "significant other" legal access to their partners death bed, is easily resolved with a signed power of attorney.

I have held and been given "powers of attorney" that curdle the soul of some lawyers, at various times in my life, for different reasons.

I even had one drawn up for my husband, that essentially allowed him to act in every capacity as myself, including the ability to re-enlist me, and swear my oath for me, should I become declared MIA, presumed dead.

I have also held a medical POA on a married woman, who judged her husband incompetent to follow her medical related decisions, should she become incompetent.(I never understood why she married him in the first place, but we all signed it)

[zeugma]

There is one county in Texas that came out in opposition to this amendment.....

Travis Co. where you'll find the People's Republic of Austin.

[longtermmemmory]

It will be really telling about FNC to see how they treat this.

Will they report the LIES told by the homosexuals? (will shepard smith report with zeal or just ignore it?)

It makes you wonder who is running behind the cameras there.

[Clintonfatigued]

Bad timing. They should have voted on this in the 2006 general election.

[Revolting cat!]

Well, we'll have to thy the knoth somewhere elsh, Broosh!

[Soul Seeker]

Congratulations Texans!

[Redbob]

Prop 2 is at 77% statewide - including Austin! - and more like 82% - 85% everywhere else.

Not close.
AND this doesn't merely define marriage, but it is also "... prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

Means even Austin cannot recognize gay marriage NOR provide for "partner benefits."

[Vision]

God Bless Texas

Not sure why I haven't moved there yet

[Redbob]

"Now all we have to do is setlovefree"

Indeed
it'll be hard to do with so many of our congresscritters to so firmly in American Airlines' backpockets.
e.g. Kay Bailey Clueless
e.g. Rep. Mike Burgess