Calif. may be headed for epic marriage battle

A possible California referendum on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions has pundits predicting an epic battle this November that could end in the approval of same-sex marriage or a massive rollback in relationship recognition.

VoteYesMarriage.com, the group collecting signatures to get the measure on the ballot this fall, has declared that it obtained by the April 28 deadline the 1.1 million signatures needed to bring the issue to voters. The California secretary of state has yet to certify that the signatures are valid and is not expected to make such an announcement until June.

Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said he is “99 percent certain” that the measure will be on the ballot because VoteYesMarriage.com turned in enough signatures for the secretary of state to start a random check to see if enough are legitimate.

As the secretary of state tabulates the signatures, the California Supreme Court is considering a case in which plaintiffs are seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage in California. The court has a self-imposed deadline of June 2 to make a decision.

If the courts rule in favor of same-sex marriage and the amendment appears on the November ballot, California voters could invalidate the judges’ decision and any marriages entered into by gay couples afterward.

Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, told the Blade that defeating the referendum is the “single most important challenge” facing same-sex marriage supporters this year. The failure of the referendum would put supporters of same-sex marriage “on a glide path to full victory” across the nation, he said.

“If we succeed in blocking this amendment in California, what will follow, in very short order, is marriage in California,” he said.

 Calif. may be headed for epic marriage battle