The people speak: A history of marriage votes

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Days following North Carolina voters banning gay marriage, Barack Obama on May 9 made history by becoming the first sitting United States president to endorse homosexual marriage.

Every state that has voted on the issue of marriage—a total of 31 including Texas—has affirmed the traditional definition of marriage being between a man and a woman.

Following is a list of each state that has voted on the issue. Unless noted, each vote involved a constitutional marriage amendment. Passage of the various proposals has come by an average margin of 67-33 percent.

1998

Alaska, 68-32 percent

Hawaii, 69-31 percent

2000

*California, 61-39 percent

Nevada, 70-30 percent (first of two required votes)

2002

Nevada, 67-33 percent (second of two required votes)

2004

Arkansas, 75-25 percent

Georgia, 76-24 percent

Kentucky, 75-25 percent

Louisiana, 78-22 percent

Michigan, 59-41 percent

Mississippi, 86-14 percent

Missouri, 71-29 percent

Montana, 67-33 percent

North Dakota, 73-27 percent

Ohio, 62-38 percent

Oklahoma, 76-24 percent

Oregon, 57-43 percent

Utah, 66-34 percent

2005

Kansas, 70-30 percent

2006

Alabama, 81-19 percent

Colorado, 56-44 percent

Idaho, 63-37 percent

South Carolina, 78-22 percent

South Dakota, 52-48 percent

Tennessee, 81-19 percent

Virginia, 57-43 percent

Wisconsin, 59-41 percent

2008

**Arizona, 56-44 percent

California, 52-48 percent

Florida, 62-38 percent

2009

***Maine, 53-47 percent

2012

North Carolina, 61-39 percent
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*California's 2000 vote was an initiative and not a constitutional amendment.

**Arizona voters defeated a marriage amendment in 2006, only to pass one two years later.

***Maine's initiative was not a constitutional amendment but a “people's veto” that overturned a gay “marriage” law.