Prop 3: Marriage is on California ballot this November

Same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide in 2015.

So why are California voters voting whether to recognize marriages regardless of race and sex this November?

Proposition 3 would not actually change who is allowed to get married in California but will remove language from the California Constitution saying that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman.

Here is the background

• 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.
• The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, but the language remained in the California Constitution although it no longer applied.

What supporters say

Those who support the proposition argue that removing this part of the Constituion will protect same-sex and interracial marriage if the Supreme Court ever sought to overturn past decisions such as Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide and Loving v. Virginia (1967) which legalized interracial marriage nationwide.

What opponents say

Opponents are calling the ballot measure vague, saying removing any definition for what marriage is will get rid of all standards and allow child marriage, incest and polygamy. The new language would say that “the right to marry is a fundamental right.”

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Polling

A poll conducted from Aug. 29 through Sept. 9 by the Public Policy Institute of California showed 68% of likely voters support the measure while 31% oppose.

Who’s supporting Proposition 3

• Democratic officials
  • California Senator Alex Padilla
  • California Senator Laphonza Butler
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom
  • Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis
  • Controller Malia Cohen
  • Treasurer Fiona Ma
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
  • San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
  • San Francisco Mayor London Breed
  • Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg

• Organizations
  • SEIU California
  • The Human Rights Campaign
  • Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
  • The California Democratic Party

Who’s opposing Proposition 3

• The California Family Council
• Reverend Tanner DiBella