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Posted by: Brad_MyWallSt

The outcome of an effort to ban same-sex marriage in California remained unclear Wednesday.

As of 9 a.m. (noon ET), Proposition 8, which would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California, had the support of 52 percent of voters, with 95 percent of precincts reporting.

If it were to pass, it would override a state Supreme Court ruling in May that legalized same-sex marriage.

Similar measures succeeded in Arizona and Florida, where voters approved constitutional amendments recognizing marriage only as a union between one man and one woman.

In Arizona, where a similar measure failed in 2006, Proposition 102 passed with 56 percent of the vote. Florida voters approved that state's amendment, 62 percent to 38 percent.

Arizona, California and Florida were the only states to weigh constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions this year, down from 11 states in the 2004 election.

But voters faced other hot-button issues in an election where ballot measures were dominated by social issues, from abortion and affirmative action to suicide and animal rights.

As of early Wednesday, CNN had projected results on most major initiatives, based on actual results and exit poll data from key areas.

Fifty-seven percent of voters in Arkansas supported a measure to prohibit unmarried sexual partners from adopting children or from serving as foster parents. The measure specifies that the prohibition applies to opposite-sex as well as same-sex couples.

Two proposals that would have limited reproductive rights were defeated. Learn details of ballot measures »

Voters in Colorado rejected a measure defining a person to "include any human being from the moment of fertilization," which would have applied to sections of the Colorado Constitution that protect "natural and essential rights of persons."

South Dakota rejected a proposal to prohibit abortions except in cases of rape or incest or where the mother's life or health is at risk. A similar measure that did not include exceptions for rape or the health of the mother was on the ballot in 2006; voters rejected it 56 percent to 44 percent.

Voters in Michigan chose to amend the state constitution to permit human embryonic stem cell research with certain restrictions. The embryos, which must have been created for fertility treatment purposes, would have to be ones that would have been discarded otherwise, and they may not be used more than 14 days after cell division has begun.

Results are still pending for California's Proposition 4, which would require physicians to provide notification to parents or guardians of minors at least 48 hours before performing an abortion.

The movement to change marijuana laws won victories in two states. Michigan became the 13th state to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, with 63 percent of the vote. Voters in Massachusetts approved an initiative to decriminalize possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Voters in Nebraska approved a measure prohibiting the state government from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to people based on race, ethnicity, color, sex or national origin. The vote effectively bans affirmative action programs in the state.

Results on a similar measure in Colorado have not been announced.

CNN projected that voters in Washington approved a citizen initiative allowing adults with six months or less to live to request lethal medication prescribed by a physician. A physician is not required to comply, but anyone participating "in good faith" with the request would not risk criminal prosecution.

Arizonans supported a measure to overhaul state laws prohibiting the employment of illegal immigrants. Under Proposition 202, only employers who know that an employee does not have legal status would risk having their business licenses suspended or revoked.

Many states also weighed budget-related proposals with significant implications for the generation of state revenue.

In Massachusetts, voters rejected a measure to cut the state personal income tax rate in half for 2009 and eliminate the state personal income tax starting in 2010. A similar ballot measure in North Dakota also failed.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/05/state.laws/index.html

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