Under a rainbow chuppah, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, senior rabbi at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Synagogue in New York, right, marry Sari Kessler, second from left, and Erika Karp, center, as their three daughters and Kessler’s brother, Jonathan Kessler, second from right, surround them Sunday July 24, 2011, in a park across the street from the Office of the City Clerk in New York. The couple, who live in New York, have been together for 14 years. Hundreds of gay couples were expected to marry in New York and across the Empire State on the first day of same-sex marriage ceremonies. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
California voters passed Proposition 3 to amend the state constitution, removing the language that says marriage is between a man and a woman, NBC News projected Tuesday.
With more than half of the ballots counted, the "Yes" votes overwhelmingly led the race as of Wednesday morning, with over 60% of voters expressing support for the state ballot measure.
In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 8, which added language to the state Constitution that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” That ballot measure was approved with 52% support and 48% in opposition.
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But even after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, the language remained in the California Constitution although it no longer applied.
Polls previously showed Californians overwhelmingly supported the idea of updating the state Constitution.
