Changes

== State Marriage Laws ==

== State Marriage Laws ==

30 out of 50 states have constitutional provisions defining and limiting marriage as between a man and a woman.<ref>http://www.domawatch.com/stateissues/index.html</ref>  Traditional marriage has been affirmed in all 31 states in which it was put to a popular vote.<ref name=guardian>[[The Guardian]], [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8789627 "Maine voters reject gay-marriage law"]</ref> The states lacking protection of marriage in their constitutions are the 13 northeastern states and territory (D.C.) beginning with [[West Virginia]] (but not including Virginia), plus North Carolina on the East Coast; in the Midwest the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, and in the West the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Washington.  As of August 3, 2010, 7 states had judicially declared or legislatively enacted same-sex "marriage" laws:  Massachusetts, California, Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.  [[Proposition 8]] modified California's constitution in 2008 to protect the sanctity of marriage, and [[Maine]] [[Question 1]] stopped the homosexual agenda again in 2009.<ref name=guardian> /> Only 5 states currently recognize homosexual "marriage".</ref>

30 out of 50 states have constitutional provisions defining and limiting marriage as between a man and a woman.<ref>http://www.domawatch.com/stateissues/index.html</ref>  Prior to the 2012 general election, traditional marriage had been affirmed in all 32 states in which it was put to a popular vote.<ref>Need Source</ref> The states lacking protection of marriage in their constitutions are the 13 northeastern states and territory (D.C.) beginning with [[West Virginia]] (but not including Virginia); in the Midwest the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, and in the West the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Washington. Several of these states instead have state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage.  As of August 3, 2010, 7 states had judicially declared or legislatively enacted same-sex marriage laws:  Massachusetts, California, Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.  [[Proposition 8]] modified California's constitution in 2008 to protect the sanctity of marriage, and [[Maine]] [[Question 1]] which was a People's Veto of a same-sex marriage law passed by the legislature was approved.<ref name=guardian> /> Only 5 states currently recognize homosexual "marriage".</ref> In the 2012 general election three states (Maine, Maryland, and Washington) legalized same-sex marriage after a popular vote and an amendment that would have recognized marriage only as a union of one man and one woman failed in its referendum.<ref>http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/Measures/2012/</ref>

 

Of the roughly 14 states that lack a constitutional traditional marriage provision, seven have "state DOMAs," which is state legislation defining marriage in the traditional way.  States or territories that lack constitutional protection for marriage or a state DOMA include New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, D.C., Colorado and New Mexico.

== Text and Codification of Law ==

== Text and Codification of Law ==