2002 Nevada Question 2

Ballot Question 2
November 5, 2002
Protection of Marriage Initiative
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 337,197 67.20%
No 164,573 32.80%
Valid votes 501,770 97.92%
Invalid or blank votes 10,663 2.08%
Total votes 512,433 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 869,859 57.68%
Source:[1]


Ballot Question 2
November 7, 2000
Protection of Marriage Initiative
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 412,688 69.62%
No 180,077 30.38%
Valid votes 592,765 96.64%
Invalid or blank votes 20,595 3.36%
Total votes 613,360 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 874,304 67.8%
Source:[2]
Sign by the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage

Question 2 of 2000 and 2002 is a ballot measure that amended the Nevada Constitution by adding a definition of marriage that prevented same-sex marriages from being conducted or recognized in Nevada. The amendment was passed by voter referendum by a margin of 67%-33% on November 5, 2002.[3] It was previously approved by 69.6% to 30.4% of voters in 2000;[4] the Nevada Constitution requires two ballot votes for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments.[5]: 54 

The measure was heavily influenced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church). A Nevada Mormon newspaper Beehive first reported the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage's intent to file an initiative petition in December 1999, and by October 2000 the coalition had raised over $800,000 from mostly Mormon-owned businesses and LDS individuals.[6] Mormon leaders had strongly encouraged members through letters with church letterhead to do campaign work and post yard signs distributed at church buildings.[7][5]: 51–71 

The text of the adopted amendment, which is found at Article I, section 21 of the Nevada Constitution, states:

Only a marriage between a male and female person shall be recognized and given effect in this state.[8]

2020 Nevada Question 2 was a ballot measure to replace Article I, section 21 with language that requires the recognition of same-sex marriage in Nevada.[9] It was passed on November 3, 2020, with 62% of the vote, making Nevada the first state to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage in a state constitution.[10][11]

  1. ^ 2002 General Election Coverage and Reports
  2. ^ 2000 General Election Coverage and Reports
  3. ^ "State of Nevada - Official 2002 General Election Results". Nevada Secretary of state. Secretary of State of Nevada. 2002. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  4. ^ "State of Nevada - Official 2000 General Election Results". Nevada Secretary of state. Secretary of State of Nevada. 2000. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Djupe, Paul A.; Olson, Laura R. (February 2, 2007). "Sweet Land of Liberty: The Gay Marriage Amendment in Nevada". Religious Interests in Community Conflict: Beyond the Culture Wars. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press. ISBN 978-1932792515.
  6. ^ McBride, Dennis (2002). "Question 2". outhistory.org. The New School. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2022. By October 25, ERN had collected just $35,077, while the CPM [Coalition for the Protection of Marriage] had raised another $865,931.41, most of which had come from Nevada Mormons, which it used to saturate the media with its message and to raise billboards across the state
  7. ^ McBride, Dennis (April 1, 2017). "Wholesome Hate". knpr.org. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2022. But it was the Mormon Church that fueled the Question 2 campaign. The most effective way the church accomplished this was through direct solicitation, on church letterhead, of its members. One such letter from the Reno Stake Presidency read, "Prayerfully consider supporting this cause in one or more of the following ways: Campaign Worker/Volunteer, Yard Sign, Walk Neighborhoods, Contribution ..." The church also told its members to pick up yard signs as they left services, signs stockpiled outside the church or in nearby parking lots.
  8. ^ "The Constitution of the State of Nevada". Nevada Legislature. Archived from the original on February 26, 2004. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  9. ^ "Assembly Joint Resolution No. 2 of the 79th Session". Nevada Legislature. Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau. May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Browning, Bil (November 4, 2020). "Nevada voters turn same-sex marriage ban into legal protections for gay couples". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "Nevada Question 2, Marriage Regardless of Gender Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 18, 2022.