Gay marriage ban unlikely for ballot

SAN FRANCISCO – Infighting, voter fatigue and a slow fundraising start appear to be plaguing efforts by conservatives to place a measure on the 2006 ballot banning same-sex marriage in California.

The efforts to amend the California Constitution suffered a setback in recent days when two groups with national conservative backing conceded that they would not qualify for the June 2006 ballot.

One group, ProtectMarriage.com, gathered fewer than half the 598,000 signatures required by a Tuesday deadline. Organizers said they may still decide to press ahead for the ballot next November, but organizers said a confluence of events has made it unlikely that voters will be sufficiently stirred in the coming months.

While battle against same-sex marriage was an issue of urgency to conservatives this summer, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s September veto of a bill to legalize such unions defused the issue for the time being.

Furthermore, the California Supreme Court is not expected to rule until 2007 on whether existing law limiting marriage to heterosexuals is unconstitutional.

“Everything we need to educate voters about the need for such a measure has been temporarily taken away,” said ProtectMarriage.com’s legal counsel, Andrew Pugno. “I think it is very unlikely there will be any measure on the ballot this coming year.”

Meanwhile, VoteYesMarriage.com, led by Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families, announced that it would not circulate petitions until it raises enough money to guarantee a successful drive by paid signature gatherers. Their initiative might not make a ballot until 2008, he said.