Voters in Maine and Maryland on Tuesday approved same-sex marriage on a day of election results that jubilant gay rights advocates called a historic turning point, the first time marriage for gay men and lesbians has been approved at the ballot box.
In Minnesota, in another first, voters rejected a proposal to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, a measure that has been enshrined in the constitutions of 30 states. A state law barring same-sex marriage remains on the books there, but with the defeat of the amendment, the door remains open to change by the legislature or the courts.