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2012 Minnesota Amendment 1

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FieldValue
countryMinnesota
flag_year1983
nameMinnesota Amendment 1
notesSources:
title*Minnesota Marriage Amendment*
yes1,399,916
no1,510,434
blank40,430
total2,910,350
turnoutpct76.42
map
mapdivisionCounty
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dateNovember 6, 2012

Yes No Other Minnesota Amendment 1 (also called Minnesota Marriage Amendment or Minnesota Gay Marriage Amendment) was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment proposed to ban marriage between same-sex couples in the state of Minnesota, that appeared on the ballot on November 6, 2012. It was rejected by 51.19% of voters.

Legislative approval

On May 11, 2011, the Minnesota Senate passed a bill to place a proposed amendment to the state constitution on the ballot that would ban same-sex marriage. The vote was 37–27, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting for the amendment. An identical bill was passed by the House on May 21; the vote was 70–62 with two Democrats and all but four Republicans voting for the amendment. The proposed amendment was on the ballot on November 6, 2012. The proposed amendment read: "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota." It did not refer to civil unions or domestic partnerships. The question being presented to voters on the ballot read: "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?"

Support and opposition

In March 2012, Minnesota's Roman Catholic bishops had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, who told them that preserving the traditional definition of marriage was a priority. Roman Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis organized leaders of different religious denominations in support of the amendment and committed his own church to spend $650,000 on behalf of its passage. In September he joined other religious leaders in a demonstration in support of the amendment at the State Capitol. The Minnesota Catholic Conference Marriage Defense Fund contributed more than half the $1.2 million raised by Minnesota for Marriage, the principal organization supporting the amendment, including $130,000 from the Knights of Columbus, a national Catholic organization.

Immediately after the Minnesota legislature voted to put Amendment 1 on the ballot, OutFront Minnesota and Project 515, two groups working for LGBTQ rights in the state, formed Minnesotans United for All Families – the main campaign organization that would work to defeat the amendment. Minnesotans United was chaired by Richard Carlbom, the future chair of the DFL. Over the course of a year and a half, Minnesotans United would raise and spend over $12 million, more than double the pro-amendment side. More importantly, the Minnesotans United campaign formed a coalition group of allies with almost 700 member organizations that included political parties, labor unions, veterans, civic groups and businesses like General Mills. The board and staff of the campaign reflected the same kind of diversity as its coalition partners and even included prominent Republicans. Drawing on lessons learned from past campaigns in other states, Minnesotans United did not cede the religious ground – it hired a faith director to reach out to communities of faith, and more than 100 of its coalition members were churches and other faith groups from around the state.

The centerpiece of the Minnesotans United for All Families campaign became its huge grassroots effort to have conversations with the voters about marriage. Rather than focus on equal rights and fairness, as was done in previous campaigns, Minnesotans United and its thousands of volunteers, had personal conversations over the phones and face to face about how marriage had the same importance and meaning for both straight and same-sex couples. This messaging strategy, which was also used in the campaign's ad campaign, helped move conflicted voters and resulted in Minnesota being the first state, after 30 attempts, to defeat a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Minnesotans United is likely the biggest grassroots campaign in the state's history, having had 27,000 volunteers knock on over 400,000 doors and make over 900,000 phone calls in the final eight days of the campaign

The Minnesota arm of President Obama's presidential re-election campaign announced his opposition to this proposed constitutional amendment in April. Advertisements in opposition to the amendment also featured Minnesota Vikings football player Chris Kluwe.

Opinion polls

Various public opinion surveys of Minnesota residents have asked questions regarding same-sex marriage. The questions vary, with some surveys referring directly to the proposed Amendment and others asking more general questions.

Date of opinion pollConducted bySample sizeFor amendmentAgainst amendmentUndecided/OtherMargin of errorQuestion
nowrapMay 2–5, 2011Star Tribune806 adults39%55%7% (Don't know/refused to answer)±4.7%"Please tell me if you would favor or oppose amending the Minnesota constitution to ban same-sex marriage."
nowrapMay 23–24, 2011SurveyUSA552 RV51%40%2% not sure
8% not vote±4.3%"If an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution were on the ballot, that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, would you vote FOR the amendment? Against the amendment? Or not vote on the measure?"
nowrapMay 27–30, 2011Public Policy Polling1,179 voters46%47%7% not sure±2.9%"Should 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?"
nowrapOctober 17–26, 2011St. Cloud State University Survey626 LV43.6%47.4%9%±5%"Should 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?"
nowrapNovember 2–3, 2011Princeton Survey Research Associates International807 adults48%43%8% (Don't know/refused to answer)±4.4%"Would you favor or oppose amending the Minnesota constitution to allow marriage only between a man and a woman?"
nowrapNovember 2–7, 2011SurveyUSA543 RV46%40%4% not sure
10% not vote±4.3%"If an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution were on the ballot, that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, would you vote FOR the amendment? Against the amendment? Or not vote on the measure?"
nowrapJanuary 21–22, 2012Public Policy Polling1,236 voters48%44%8% not sure±2.8%"Should 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?"
nowrapJanuary 31 – February 2, 2012SurveyUSA542 RV47%39%4% not sure
10% not vote±4.3%"An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution on the ballot defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Will you vote FOR the amendment? Against the amendment? Or not vote on the measure?"
nowrapMay 31 – June 3, 2012Public Policy Polling973 voters43%49%7% not sure±3.1%"Should 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?"
nowrapJuly 17–19, 2012SurveyUSA552 LV52%37%6% not sure
5% not vote±4.3%"An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution on the ballot defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Will you vote FOR the amendment? Against the amendment? Or not vote on the measure?"
nowrapSeptember 6–9, 2012SurveyUSA551 LV50%43%8%±4.3%"Also on the ballot is a ballot measure about marriage. It asks: 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?"
nowrapSeptember 10–11, 2012Public Policy Polling824 LV48%47%5% not sure±3.4%"Should 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?"
nowrapSeptember 17–19, 2012Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Inc.800 LV49%47%4%±3.5%"Another [amendment on the November ballot] asks "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in Minnesota?" If the election were held today, would you vote: "YES", in favor of the amendment; "NO", against the amendment."
nowrapOctober 5–8, 2012Public Policy Polling937 LV46%49%5% not sure
1% won't vote±3.2%"Should 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?"
nowrapOctober 12–14, 2012SurveyUSA550 LV47%46%7%±4.3%"Also on the ballot is a ballot measure about marriage. It asks: 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?"
nowrapOctober 15–21, 2012St. Cloud State University Survey600 LV44%51%5%±5%"The second proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution asks "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman be valid or recognized as marriage in Minnesota?" If you were to vote today would you vote for the amendment, vote against the amendment, or not vote on this issue?"
nowrapOctober 23–25, 2012Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Inc.800 LV48%47%5%±3.5%"Another ballot question asks "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in Minnesota?" If the election were held today, would you vote: YES in favor of the amendment; NO against the amendment"
nowrapOctober 26–28, 2012SurveyUSA574 LV48%47%5%±4.2%"Also on the ballot is a ballot measure about marriage. It asks: 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?"
nowrapNovember 1–3, 2012SurveyUSA556 LV47%48%5%±4.2%"Also on the ballot is a ballot measure about marriage. It asks: 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?"
nowrapNovember 2–3, 2012Public Policy Polling1,164 LV45%52%3% not sure
0% won't vote±2.9%"Should 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?"

Results

Recognition of Marriage Solely Between One Man and One Woman

County breakdown

CountyNoVotesYesVotes
Aitkin38.2%3,42861.8%5,699
Anoka49.4%90,46850.6%94,690
Becker37.1%5,84862.9%10,364
Beltrami48.9%10,56351.1%11,334
Benton44.6%8,60655.4%10,943
Big Stone32.9%88767.1%1,888
Blue Earth54.2%18,29145.8%15,796
Brown33.6%4,60466.4%9,312
Carlton48.1%8,75851.9%9,632
Carver49.9%25,95350.1%26,552
Cass38.1%5,99661.9%10,041
Chippewa36.9%2,25263.1%3,944
Chisago43.1%12,45956.9%16,815
Clay49.5%13,90350.5%14,652
Clearwater29.1%1,16870.9%3,000
Cook60.1%1,97839.9%1,334
Cottonwood30.0%1,75970.0%4,143
Crow Wing40.2%13,77059.8%20,954
Dakota55.4%125,70544.6%103,250
Dodge41.4%4,19958.6%6,096
Douglas36.4%7,47463.6%13,436
Faribault35.1%2,66864.9%5,046
Fillmore43.4%4,60956.6%6,196
Freeborn40.0%6,51860.0%10,097
Goodhue47.6%12,07952.4%13,583
Grant36.1%1,22663.9%2,241
Hennepin65.3%433,80334.7%237,084
Houston42.3%4,25657.7%6,066
Hubbard38.1%4,31061.9%7,185
Isanti39.0%7,74261.0%12,391
Itasca44.3%10,41255.7%13,392
Jackson31.2%1,66568.8%3,785
Kanabec35.5%2,82864.5%5,281
Kandiyohi37.2%7,77462.8%13,523
Kittson33.6%78066.4%1,629
Koochiching46.2%2,91053.8%3,504
Lac qui Parle32.3%1,25767.7%2,711
Lake49.0%3,26851.0%3,496
Lake of the Woods36.1%76963.9%1,436
Le Sueur42.4%6,16357.6%8,559
Lincoln29.8%87970.2%2,211
Lyon38.0%4,62862.0%7,725
McLeod34.3%6,21865.7%12,253
Mahnomen38.6%80761.4%1,350
Marshall28.2%1,11971.8%3,541
Martin32.4%3,46667.6%7,465
Meeker35.5%4,26464.5%7,937
Mille Lacs39.3%5,05360.7%8,004
Morrison32.1%5,22867.9%11,424
Mower43.2%7,81856.8%10,603
Murray29.0%1,33771.0%3,419
Nicollet53.0%9,59547.0%8,670
Nobles25.7%2,03574.3%6,393
Norman37.0%1,13263.0%2,050
Olmsted51.0%39,05349.0%38,525
Otter Tail33.5%10,20266.5%21,180
Pennington38.6%2,44461.4%4,030
Pine37.8%5,21662.2%8,756
Pipestone24.4%1,09275.6%3,539
Polk35.4%4,95164.6%9,547
Pope36.5%2,24263.5%3,991
Ramsey63.5%172,19736.5%102,069
Red Lake32.3%61767.7%1,356
Redwood30.5%2,33069.5%5,455
Renville33.7%2,54966.3%5,145
Rice53.7%17,02546.3%15,010
Rock26.6%1,21873.4%3,579
Roseau30.1%2,11569.9%5,185
Scott51.1%35,95148.9%35,212
Sherburne43.7%19,95356.3%26,306
Sibley31.3%2,37968.7%5,404
St. Louis55.9%63,66344.1%51,272
Stearns47.0%36,30953.0%41,849
Steele44.4%8,33955.6%10,685
Stevens44.3%2,46355.7%3,163
Swift39.1%1,84760.9%3,293
Todd28.8%3,31171.2%8,448
Traverse33.8%60266.2%1,238
Wabasha40.8%4,69859.2%7,011
Wadena30.4%1,98169.6%4,769
Waseca40.2%3,87359.8%5,877
Washington55.3%77,10844.7%63,767
Watonwan36.4%1,82863.6%3,295
Wilkin31.4%96768.6%2,222
Winona53.0%14,13247.0%12,884
Wright44.0%29,25956.0%38,157
Yellow Medicine34.5%1,83565.5%3,572

References

References

  1. [https://electionresults.sos.mn.gov/Results/AmendmentResultsStatewide?ersElectionId=1&scenario=state Results for Constitutional Amendments 2012 Minnesota]
  2. [https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/historical-voter-turnout-statistics/ Historical Voter Turnout Statistics]
  3. Zachary, Alexander. (3 October 2012). "Weathering the Storms of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment". [[HuffPost]].
  4. "Minnesota to vote on gay-marriage ban". [[The Washington Times]].
  5. (November 7, 2012). "2012 Referendum General Election Results".
  6. (May 22, 2011). "Voters to determine the future of marriage, House decides". Star Tribune.
  7. "SF1308 Status in Senate for Legislative Session 87: Constitutional amendment to recognize marriage solely between one man and one woman". Minnesota State Legislature.
  8. "Minnesota Secretary Of State - Home".
  9. (7 October 2012). "Marriage amendment: The archbishop draws the line". Star-Tribune.
  10. Helgeson, Baird. (18 October 2012). "Minnesota's marriage amendment fight funded by Catholics across U.S.". Star Tribune.
  11. (November 9, 2012). "EIGHTEEN MONTHS TO HISTORY: How the Minnesota marriage amendment was defeated -- money, passion, allies".
  12. Moylan, Martin. (June 14, 2012). "General Mills opposes marriage amendment".
  13. (September 3, 2012). "Businesses drawn into fight over marriage amendment".
  14. (26 November 2012). "What happened here? Three observations about Minnesota's marriage vote".
  15. (February 17, 2013). "OPINION EXCHANGE - Minnesota lawmakers won't be rushed on gay marriage".
  16. Louwagie, Pam. (9 April 2012). "Obama weighs in against Minnesota's marriage ballot". Star Tribune.
  17. Gervino, Tony. (19 October 2012). "The Punter Makes His Point". New York Times.
  18. [http://www.startribune.com/politics/121725399.html Minnesota Poll: Majority oppose gay marriage ban] {{webarchive. link. (2012-08-18)
  19. "SurveyUSA News Poll #18243".
  20. "Minnesotans like Dayton, split on gay marriage".
  21. "Annual Minnesota Statewide Survey Fall 2011 – Findings Report".
  22. [http://www.startribune.com/politics/133367088.html Minnesota Poll results: Marriage Amendment] {{webarchive. link. (2012-11-08)
  23. "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #18726".
  24. "Dayton Sees Strong Approval in Minnesota".
  25. "SurveyUSA News Poll #18953".
  26. (June 5, 2012). "Minnesotans' opposition to marriage amendment growing".
  27. "SurveyUSA Election Poll #19394".
  28. "SurveyUSA Election Poll #19612".
  29. (September 12, 2012). "Minnesota split on marriage amendment".
  30. (September 23, 2012). "MINNESOTA POLL RESULTS: Marriage amendment".
  31. "Minnesota marriage amendment narrowly trails".
  32. "SurveyUSA Election Poll #19873".
  33. Hawkins, Beth. (26 October 2012). "St. Cloud State poll shows slender lead for opponents of marriage amendment".
  34. Frank, Stephen I. "FALL STATEWIDE SURVEY OCTOBER, 2012". St. cloud State University.
  35. (October 28, 2012). "Breakdown of poll findings on marriage amendment".
  36. (October 28, 2012). "How the poll was conducted".
  37. "SurveyUSA Election Poll #20056".
  38. "SurveyUSA Election Poll #20105".
  39. "Obama up 8 in Minnesota, amendments trail for passage".
  40. "Source for Popular Vote data: Minnesota Secretary of State. Results for Constitutional Amendments, Minnesota Secretary of State".
  41. link. (2012-12-11)
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