While election night was a blow to advocates for gay rights in many states, a measure on Connecticut’s ballots asking voters whether the state should hold a constitutional convention was defeated.
The innocuous-sounding question is put on the ballot at 20 year intervals, as required by law passed at one of the conventions. But advocates against gay marriage supported the measure in this year, when the Supreme Court just ruled banning gay marriage was unconstitutional.
From the Stamford Advocate:
For the second time in more than 40 years, Connecticut voters rejected a ballot question to hold a convention to revise or amend the state Constitution.
The measure had been supported by groups such as the Family Institute of Connecticut and the Connecticut Catholic Conference, which wanted to use a convention to overturn the recent state Supreme Court decision that allows gay marriage.
Proponents also had hoped to use the initiative and referendum to amend the state’s eminent domain laws, cap property taxes, impose term limits or impose mandatory life sentences for certain violent criminals.
