If Marriage Amendment Passes, What Happens Next?

MN United, MN for Marriage have a number of options if things don't go their way.

Regardless of who wins Tuesday’s vote on Minnesota's marriage amendment, this likely won't be the last voters will hear of the issue. Recount A Possibility If the final vote tallies are close, expect a recount, said Raleigh Levine, an election law professor at St. Paul's William Mitchell College of Law. Election results won't be announced for several hours, but political parties on both sides seem to be lawyering up in case any one race requires a recount, but according to Minnpost, the main group opposing the amendment has also retained an election lawyer. Still, Levine said, don't expect a repeat of the 2008 battle between Sen. Al Franken and then-Sen. Norm Coleman unless one side's margin of victory is only a few hundred votes. The …

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Letter to the Editor

Veteran Asks Others to Vote 'No' on Proposed Amendments

The following is a Letter to the Editor from a local resident and veteran.

To the Editor, When I joined the military, I took an oath to support and protect the constitution of the United States. In the US Constitution it has a bill of rights and prescribes three branches of the government, Executive, Legislative and Judicial. These branches of government are the first 3 articles of the constitution and is the check and balance system of our government. The Minnesota state constitution is like the US Constitution. The first article is the bill of rights. The third article sets up the same three branches of government. This I swore to protect. We the people elect our legislators, we the people elect the governor, we the people in Minnesota elect the supreme court justices. We already have the power, we do not need …

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Letter to the Editor

Pastor: Withholding Marriage Rights is a 'Tragic Misuse of Our Electoral Process'

Richfield resident Rev. Dr. Robyn Provis says the proposed marriage amendment is a solution without a problem in the following Letter to the Editor.

Dear Editor, I doubt I’m alone in being tired of the political rhetoric this election season. Spin doctors are actively a part of our culture. We say veal to distract us from the reality that we’re eating baby cows. We say faux instead of fake because fake is less marketable. And November 6 we will vote on the so called “defense of marriage act.” By spinning it that marriage needs defending, proponents hope to sell it as the opposite of what it really is: discrimination dressed up in fearful rhetoric. Marriage is not a zero sum proposition! Amending our state's constitution is a solution without a problem. Even a school child knows the constitution was created to protect the rights of its citizens, not take them away.   The only …

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Election 2012

POLL: Do You Approve Of The Marriage Amendment's Ballot Title?

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced the new language Thursday.

Late last week, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced the title that will introduce the same-sex marriage amendment on the November ballot. He chose the words, "Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples." According to the Star Tribune, amendment supporters wanted the title, "Recognition of marriage solely between one man and one woman." Chuck Darrell,  a spokesman for Minnesota for Marriage, the amendment proponents, told the Star Tribune that Ritchie's language choice "is a perfect example of why we need the marriage amendment—you can't trust politicians to allow the law. They are beholden to special interests, like gay marriage activists, and they will force their agenda without the people having their day. The only way…

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Minnesota State Fair Poll Shows Little Support for Gay Marriage Ban

A record 12,549 fair-goers participated in the poll this year.

Of a record 12,549 participants in this year's House of Representatives State Fair Poll, nearly 70 percent said the state constitution should not be amended to define marriage as only a union of one man and one woman. That was just one of the interesting results from the annual poll, which also showed that Minnesotans appear to be basically split on whether voters should be required to show photo ID before voting. The recent state government shutdown was also fresh on the mind, and roughly 69 percent of polltakers said current levels of state funding should remain in effect if the governor and legislators cannot agree on a state budget for an upcoming biennium—an approach that would prevent future shutdowns. Here are the full results from …

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PHOTOS: Richfield Church, People Across the State Participate in Minneapolis Pride Parade

Minneapolis' annual Gay Pride Parade sees participants from local church, people from all around the cities.

Members of Richfield United Methodist Church, along with thousands of other people, local politians and organizations from around the state marched along in Minneapolis' annual Pride Parade Sunday. If you attended any of the pride weekend events, post your photos to this article by clicking above on "add photos."

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