California Online Voter Guide

November 2008 General Election
17th edition

Proposition 8 - Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Passed

Initiative Constitutional Amendment

Summary

• Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.

• Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

• Fiscal Impact: Over the next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly from sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments.

• Fiscal Impact: In the long run, likely little fiscal impact on state and local governments.

What a Yes or No Vote Means

YES: A “YES” vote on this measure means: The California Constitution will specify that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

NO: A “NO” vote on this measure means: Marriage between individuals of the same sex would continue to be valid or recognized in California.

Full Text of Proposition 8 - (PDF)

Official Campaign Web Sites and Contact Information

• Yes on Proposition 8

  ProtectMarriage.com - Yes on 8
  915 L Street #C-259
  Sacramento, CA 95814
  Phone: (916) 446-2956
  Email: Contact page
  Web site: www.protectmarriage.com
  

• No on Proposition 8

  Equality for ALL, NO on Proposition 8
  921 11th Street, 10th Floor
  Sacramento, CA 95814
  Phone: (916) 717-1411
  Email: Contact page
  Web site: www.noonprop8.com

Who Signed the Ballot Arguments

• Yes on Proposition 8

  Ron Prentice, President, California Family Council
  Rosemarie “Rosie” Avila, Governing Board Member, Santa Ana Unified School District
  Bishop George McKinney, Director, Coalition of African American Pastors

• No on Proposition 8

Samuel Thoron, Former President, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Julia Miller Thoron, Parent

News Articles

CVF's News Stories section provides California voters with convenient access to a sampling of news articles that give an overview of the potential impact of the propositions on the ballot.

Follow the Money

Proposition 8 Campaign Finances through October 18, 2008
Position	Support			Oppose
Total Raised	$26,976,860			$28,694,022
Top Donors	Name	Amount		Name	Amount
	Knights of Columbus [New Haven, CT]	$1,250,000		California Teachers Association [Burlingame, CA]	$1,312,998
	Fieldstead and Co. [Irvine, CA]	$995,000		Robert Wilson, Retired, [Brooklyn, NY]	$1,200,000
	John Templeton, President, John Templeton Foundation [Bryn Mawr, PA]	$900,000		David Bohnet, self-employed, The Offices of David Bohnet, [Beverly Hills, CA]	$1,100,000
	American Family Association, Inc. [Tupelo, MS]	$500,000		Jon Stryker, self-employed Philanthropist [Kalamazoo, MI]	$1,055,000
	Focus on the Family [Colorado Springs, CO]	$453,790		Bruce Bastian, Retired, [Orem, UT]	$1,010,000

 

Detailed information about all contributors for and against Proposition 8 is available from campaign finance reports at Cal-Access, the Secretary of State's campaign disclosure web site. To view the most recent contributions, select a committee and click "Late and $5000+ Contributions Received".

 

 

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This page was first published on September 27, 2008 | Last updated on December 21, 2008
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