This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2004, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, despite vigorous opposition from critics who said the measure would invite legal battles and endanger rights.
The Associated Press called the race based on a statistical analysis from voter interviews conducted for the AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
The amendment enjoyed support from the strong majority of Republican voters in the state, according to the analysis, and even drew "yes" votes from about a quarter of voters who identified themselves as Democrats.The Beehive State was one of 11 with such an amendment on the table.
Amendment supporters had said the measure was necessary to protect Utah from being forced to sanction gay marriages legally performed in other states, like Massachusetts. Though the measure had faced organized opposition, it's no big surprise that voters in this heavily Republican and socially conservative state gave it the nod.
"We feel that to call anything besides a union between a man and a wife marriage is crazy. It's not marriage," said Everett Peck, a Salt Lake City Republican who voted with wife Hanna.
Opponents had hinged their message on a second caveat in the amendment prohibiting the equivalent of same-sex unions, arguing that it would throw into question things like custody and inheritance rights for even heterosexual couples.
Marilynn Hennessy, a 29-year-old student voting in Salt Lake City, said she votes every election cycle, but this year the amendment was one of the most important issues on her ballot. She was raised by foster parents, and said she's afraid the amendment will affect parental rights over time. "I'm most concerned about custody rights and how it defines the future," she said.