California votes to ban gay marriage

California's fiercely contested gay marriage ban passed in a closely contested race, after one of the most expensive and closely watched campaigns in the nation divided voters across religious and political lines.

With 95 percent of the precincts reporting, more than 52 percent voted to ban gay marriage.

Pitched as a critical moral question of our time by supporters, and an issue of equality and justice by opponents, Proposition 8 aroused the most passion of any state ballot measure this year.

The measure drew huge national attention as volunteers and millions of dollars in donations poured in from other states to support or defeat the measure.

From Catholics and celebrities to Democrats and Republicans, the initiative divided some groups and united others in a pitched, sometimes ugly political fight. Both sides spent a combined $70 million to reach undecided voters through rallies, television ads, the Internet and marathon-paced phone banks.

Proponents of the ban said it restored traditional values and acts as a moral compass to steer California's society in the right direction. Opponents said it discriminated against a section of the population, denying them the same right as opposite-sex couples to economic, social and other benefits of marriage.

Locally, No on Proposition 8 supporters ratcheted up their efforts throughout Election Day and into the night Tuesday to reach voters at the polls. The Yes campaign fought hard, meanwhile, to draw out the vote, relying heavily on ads that said children would be forced to learn about gay marriage in public schools.

The Yes on 8 campaign reached out to religious groups and others in and outside California to support the ban.

The status of thousands of same-sex couples who have legally married since June remains uncertain. According to the No campaign, the next phase in guaranteeing those marriages remain legal may come from federal court input and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.

The No campaign promised before the final vote was tallied that it would file an emergency injunction to stay any decisions on the marriages that have already taken place, said John Duran, president of Equality California, the biggest contributor to the No on 8 campaign.

Nancy Huang of Pasadena, who voted Tuesday and is an organizer with the Save Marriage and Family coalition, a grass-roots group, said her effort to help rally thousands of Chinese-Americans and Latinos was motivated by keeping marriage strictly defined as between man and woman. "This is not a civil-rights issue," Huang said. "It's a moral issue. It's a democratic issue. Gays and lesbians already have all the rights and benefits equivalent to marriage, except we cannot allow them to redefine marriage for 97 percent of the population." Huang had promised to urge parents to take their children out of schools if the the no campaign had won.

Scott Schmidt, the campaign manager for Republicans Against 8, said the measure has divided many in the party, with GOP faithfuls like himself and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposing the ban while others, especially those with links to the Christian right, supporting it.

High-profile opponents of the proposition have in recent months contributed financially and lent their voices to the campaign. Actor Martin Sheen, who spent election night with friends, said it's a moral obligation for voters to stand up and defend truth. "That's our responsibility as church people, as citizens and as human beings," Sheen said.