On November 6, 2012, Minnesota voters will vote on a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that, if passed, would permanently prohibit committed, same-sex couples from marrying. The following page provides information on existing laws defining marriage in the state of Minnesota, a background on the marriage amendment and links to resources and reference information.
Minnesota marriage amendment history
In 1997, the Minnesota legislature updated state statutes to prohibit same-sex marriage in the state of Minnesota. In May of 2011, the legislature passed a bill to add an amendment to the November 2012 ballot on whether or not the Minnesota State Constitution should be updated to define marriage as one man and one woman. Voters will now decide if the Minnesota State Constitution should be updated to limit the freedom of committed same-sex couples across the state. Visit the amendment history page to read more about the history of marriage in Minnesota and how the marriage amendment came to be.
Minnesota marriage amendment title
When the amendment was first passed Minnesota legislature, the title to appear on ballots was: Recognition of Marriage Solely Between One Man and One Woman. However, because Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the amendment (which was symbolic in nature since the legislature overrides the governor on ballot measures), the Secretary of State had the opportunity to re-title the amendment. In June of 2012, Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie, re-titled the amendment Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples. This led to a legal battle where Minnesota for Marriage sued the Secretary of State for overstepping their power.
Minnesota marriage amendment text
Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?
States that have passed similar amendments
31 states have passed amendments to their constitution limiting the rights of same-sex couples. Some states have updated their constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman. Other states have gone even farther to define any recognition similar to marriage (think civil unions) as illegal. For the entire list of states that have updated their constitution, ordered by year, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Minnesota Marriage Amendment
Have a question about the amendment? Curious about how you can get involved? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page to see if your question has already been asked/answered. I’ve compiled a list of questions received through this site and Twitter and will be updating the page until the election. If your question isn’t answered, you can submit your question right on the Frequently Asked Questions page!
