The Minnesota Marriage Amendment

As well as voting for the President and Vice President, and other elected officials, Minnesotans are also being asked to decide on two constitutional amendments this November.

The Minnesota Marriage Amendment, and the Minnesota Voter Identification Amendment will be in the ballot on November 6.

The first has been receiving the bulk of the publicity and media attention. The Minnesota Marriage Amendment seeks to define marriage as between one man and one woman. It's been described as anti-gay marriage legislation. However, gay marriage is currently not legal in Minnesota, and whichever way the vote goes in November, it won't become legal based on the outcome of the vote.

A Yes vote would be a vote for the amendment, and change the constitution to specifically define marriage as between one man and one woman. It would make future legislation legalizing gay marriage more difficult to create.

A No vote would be a vote to not change the constitution. A No vote would not make gay marriage legal, and would not change any other Minnesota law. But, a No vote would be in favor of preventing a serious obstacle for any future gay marriage legislation.

A non-scientific poll of yard signs and bumper stickers in Minneapolis and St. Paul would give a good majority to those who oppose the amendment. The state as a whole doesn't necessarily share that opinion, with polls showing that the outcome of the vote is too close to call.

Here's more information on the proposed Minnesota Marriage Amendment, including the full text of the amendment that you'll see on your ballot paper, and how to get more information on organizations who are campaigning for both sides of the debate.