| Proposition 8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Choice | Votes | Percentage |
 Yes | 7,001,084 | 52.24% |
| No | 6,401,482 | 47.76% |
| Valid votes | 13,402,566 | 97.52% |
| Invalid or blank votes | 340,611 | 2.48% |
| Total votes | 13,743,177 | 100.00% |
| Voter turnout | 79.42% | |
As you can see from the above image, it was a very close and narrow win for the supporters of Proposition 8. After all of the money raising, campaigning and debating, the citizens of California again agreed that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, but this time it was a much closer decision. In the below image, we see a gay couple waiting outside of a judges office with a sign on it saying "Back in December (maybe)". In the upper left hand corner the Proposition has been cleverly renamed Proposition w8, with a play on the number 8 and the letter w to signify "wait". Many gay couples had been prepared to marry and were now forced to wait and see what would happen, they are now waiting on the decision from judges. Shortly after the Proposition was passed, the gay community took the proposition to court in the hopes that it would be overturned again.
Here is a break down of the demographics of the voting results:
The Vote on Proposition 8:
(% of voters) % voting “Yes” on Proposition 8:
Total: 52 %
Sex
(46%) Men: 54%
(54%) Women: 49%
Age
(17%) 18‐29: 45%
(21%) 30‐44: 48%
(38%) 45‐64: 47%
(23%) 65+: 67%
Race/Ethnicity:
(68%) White: 49%
(7%) African American: 58%
(14%) Latino/Hispanic: 59%
(7%) Asian: 48%
Attendance of Religious Services:
(45%) weekly: 70%
(12%) monthly: 48%
(14%) holidays and special occasions: 44%
(29%) hardly ever: 30%
Party Identification:
(45%) Democratic: 30%
(18%) Independent: 53%
(34%) Republican: 81%
Political Ideology:
(37%) Liberal: 22%
(27%) Moderate: 51%
(36%) Conservative: 82%
Have Lesbian/Gay Family or Friends:
(26%) No: 60%
(74%) Yes: 49%
Source: DBR Survey of California Voters for Equality California, November 6‐16,
As shown in Table 1, conservatives and Republicans were the most likely to support
Proposition 8: 82% of conservatives and 81% of Republicans voted in favor of the
measure. People who attended religious services weekly (70%) and those over age 65
(67%) also approved Proposition 8 by substantial majorities. Men were slightly more
likely to support Proposition 8 (by 54%) than women (49%). Majorities of those under
age 65 opposed Proposition 8. African American and Latino voters supported
Proposition 8 to a greater degree, 58% and 59% respectively, than did whites and
Asians. Click here for a full report.
In the Daily Show, Jon Stewart has a portion of one of his shows that talks about the African American's views on same-sex marriage, the use of satire and humor is very strong as he brings in his Senior Black Correspondent: Larry Wilmore.
One important thing to note is that from the time the previous Proposition had been overturned, there were many gay couples who had been married. With the passing of this Proposition, all of those couples now had their marriages canceled out and were no longer recognized by the state of California. It was a time of outrage within the gay community and an uproar of anger. They immediately took action and filed suit to block Proposition 8. Shortly after May 26, 2009, the state Supreme Court upheld the voter-approved ban but also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect would stay wed. But in August 2010, a federal judge in San Francisco, Judge Walker, struck down the ban, saying it unfairly targeted gay men and women, handing supporters of such unions a temporary victory in a legal battle that seems all but certain to be settled by the Supreme Court. After initially stating that the ban would stay in effect, the judge lifted the ban on August 18, 2010, allowing same-sex marriages to once again resume, but very soon after this the Ninth Circuit Court intervened and kept the ban in place until they have the chance to hear the case further.
Governor Schwarzennegar, State Attorney General Jerry Brown, and Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado refused to defend Proposition 8, which leaves Imperial County as the only government entity defending the Proposition at this time. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Imperial County does not have standing to pursue the case, and decides to punt the case to the California Supreme Court to decide whether initiative supporters have the right to continue the lawsuit. The court says that it cannot rule on the law's constitutionality until the State Supreme Court decides on the standing issue. One thing is certain: California's ban on same-sex marriage will remain in effect until all the legal issues are resolved, probably by the U.S. Supreme Court, or until voters pass another ballot measure legalizing same sex marriage in California once again. So for now, same-sex marriage is not allowed in California. California is still feeling the effects of a Proposition that was passed 11 years ago. It is yet to be determined how things will end up, if things are ever resolved.In the the last two editorial cartoons, both were talking about Proposition 8 being overturned. This was after the Judge Walker had decided to lift the ban, and before the Ninth Circuit Court stepped in to keep the ban in place. One is a reaction of the supporters, the other, those who opposed Proposition 8. As has been previously mentioned, Proposition 8 is still in effect and those cartoons no longer hold truth, even though when they were created, they were true.