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Texas Voters Approve Ban on Gay Marriage Nov 08 9:02 PM US/Eastern

By DAVID CRARY

Texas voters Tuesday overwhelming approved a constitutional
ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In
Maine, however, a proposal to repeal a new gay-rights law was trailing in early
returns.

In California, voters had a chance to embolden or embarrass Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger as they considered four measures he promoted as part of a power
struggle with legislators and public-employee unions.

The contest in Texas was decided quickly _ the ban was receiving more than 74
percent of the votes in early returns. Like every other state except
Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the
constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court
rulings.

The campaign had been enlivened over the past week because of a controversial
tactic by the amendment's opponents, who argued in recorded phone calls to
voters that the measure is so poorly worded that it could jeopardize traditional
man-woman marriages. Amendment supporters denounced the effort as misleading.

In Maine, early returns indicated voters were spurning a measure placed on
the ballot by a church-backed conservative coalition that would repeal a
gay-rights law approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The lawmakers expanded
the state's human rights act to outlaw discrimination based on sexual
orientation, a step already taken by the five other New England states.

With about 12 percent of the precincts reporting, 57 percent of the voters
were voting against the repeal effort.