Wisconsin to vote on civil unions

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin voters will decide this fall whether to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions.

The proposal cleared its final hurdle in the Republican-controlled Legislature Tuesday evening and will appear on the state ballot in November. That’s also when voters will determine whether Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle will get a second term in office.

Democrats called the bill an attempt to draw more conservatives to the polls in hopes of defeating Doyle.

The governor vetoed a previous attempt to change state law to define marriage as between one man and one woman and has denounced the amendment, which bypasses his desk.

The two Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for governor support the ban.

“This is a cynical right-wing attempt to motivate the base for the fall elections,” said Rep. Marlin Schneider, a Democrat.

Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat and the only openly gay member of the Assembly, called the amendment “state-sponsored discrimination.”