California voters saw 12 propositions on the ballot, many of which were controversial. The most heated debate was over Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage.
More Yes on 8 signs were staked in Pleasanton dirt than its opposition, with several volunteers braving the rain to hold up signs at busy city intersections Monday. While the proposition holds the majority vote in the state, 61.9 percent of Alameda County voters voted to defeat Prop 8. The county registrar of voters has yet to certify the election nor count all the votes. In the meantime, gay-rights advocates have reportedly filed a legal challenge to the California Supreme Court, calling it an illegal constitutional revision.
With 99.5 percent of precincts reporting as of press time, other propositions voters approved were Prop 1A, the high-speed train (52.2 percent); Prop 2, standards for farm animals (63.2 percent); children’s hospital bond act (54 percent); victim’s rights (53.5 percent); redistricting boundaries (50.6 percent); and the veterans’ bond (63.5 percent).
–Emily West
