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 …
Monday, October 29, 2012
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…
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Karyn Milos says amendment support rooted in fears about loss of religion—and empathetic conversations are the way around that.
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Sunday, October 28, 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 …
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?
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
MN United husbanding over $700,000 as election closes in.
According to documents released Wednesday by Minnesota's campaign finance watchdog, Minnesotans United for All Families has over one and a half times as much cash on hand as their opponents in the battle over a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. The campaign filings show Minnesota for Marriage, the main group pushing for passage of the amendment has around $483,000 in its coffers to spend on ads, wages, and other expenses between now an Nov. 6. Minnesotans United, by contrast, has around $751,000. Since January, Minnesotans United has raised over $6 million, while Minnesota for Marriage has raised barely $2 million. Despite the monetary disadvantage, the former group was upbeat. "We are pleased with our …
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 Parish 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 …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The Mendota Heights synagogue has taken an official position against the controversial piece of legislation.
Local synagogue Beth Jacob Congregation has taken an active stance against the proposed constitutional marriage amendment, which will appear on ballots across the state on Nov. 6. The amendment defines marriage as between one man and one woman in the state constitution. “This is not the way that God wants us to be treating one another,” said Rabbi Morris Allen, the spiritual leader at Beth Jacob. Allen stated that many members of his congregation are involved with amendment opposition organization, Minnesotans United for All Families. The Beth Jacob Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution against the amendment, and, according to board co-president Eric Pasternack, the board made the unanimous decision to join the coalition of …
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 …
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 ›