Colorado Marriage Amendment (2006)

From Ballotpedia

(Redirected from Colorado Amendment 43 (2006))

Voting on marriage

2008
Arizona Marriage Act Arkansas Adoption Ban California Proposition 8 Florida Marriage Amendment
2006
Arizona Prop 107 Colorado Prop 43 Alabama Marriage Act Idaho Amendment 2 South Carolina South Dakota Amendment C Tennessee Marriage Act Virginia Marriage Act Wisconsin Question One

Colorado Amendment 43, or the Marriage Amendment, appeared on the November 2006 Colorado ballot. It passed with 55% of the vote. The amendment defines a valid marriage as being only a union of one man and one woman.

Amendment 43 was one of two statewide measures that Colorado voters faced in the November 2006 election that dealt with the definition of marriage and civil partnerships. The other, Colorado Referendum I would have authorized domestic partnerships. (It failed.)^[1]

The measure was a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment.

The official ballot title read:

An amendment to the Colorado constitution, concerning marriage, and, in connection therewith, specifying that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Colorado.

1 Supporters
2 Opponents
3 Status
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

Supporters

The groups supporting Amendment 43 were the Colorado Family Action Issue Committee, which spent $1,027,777, and Coloradans for Marriage, which spent $348,708.

Supporters argued that the public has an interest in preserving the commonly accepted definition of marriage. Marriage as an institution, they argued, has historically consisted of one man and one woman and, as such, provides the optimal environment for creating, nurturing, and protecting children and preserving families.

They also argued that a constitutional amendment is necessary to avoid court rulings that expand marriage beyond one man and one woman in Colorado. In Massachusetts, a statutory definition was not sufficient to prevent a court from requiring the state to recognize same-sex marriages. They believe that any change to the definition of marriage should be determined by the voters, not judges.^[2]

Opponents

Groups opposing the measure were "Coloradans for Fairness", which spent $5,107,495, "Don't Mess with Marriage", which spent $346,500, and the "Bell Ballot Action" group, which spent $5,000.^[3]

Donors to the two major committees opposing the amendment included the Gill Action Fund ($3,280,884 + $346,000), Jon Stryker ($550,000), Pat Stryker ($250,000), the Service Employees International Union ($150,000), Jared Polis ($42,121) and Herb Sandler ($50,000).

Opponents argued that language that limits marriage to opposite-sex couples does not belong in Colorado's Bill of Rights, which generally guarantees individual rights. They also voiced concern that Amendment 43 may be unconstitutional because it denies same-sex couples and their children the legal benefits and protections that are available to married couples and their children.

Opponents said that the proposed amendment is unnecessary because there is already a statutory ban in Colorado on any marriage that does not consist of one man and one woman.^[2]