Gay marriage rejected by Missouri voters

MISSOURI voters have solidly endorsed a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

With nearly all precincts reporting, the amendment had garnered 71% of the vote, according to unofficial results for Tuesday’s vote. It was the first such vote since the historic ruling in Massachusetts last year that legalised same-sex weddings there.

Although the ban was widely expected to pass in conservative Missouri, experts said the campaign served as a key barometer for which strategies work as between nine and 12 other states vote on similar amendments this year.