CO Marriage Ban Repeal Work Begins

Activists in Colorado have received approval to begin gathering the signatures to place a repeal of the state's ban on same-sex marriage on the 2012 ballot.

A state board charged with approving proposed ballot measures voted 3-0 to allow a measure to repeal the ban, which voters placed in the state constitution in 2006. The measure would strike the ban and say marriage is allowed regardless of the participants' gender. Gay-marriage activists would need to collect about 86,000 valid signatures to make the 2012 ballot. Proponents of the measure have conceded it will be a challenge to gather enough signatures. A similar attempt for the 2010 ballot failed, and prominent gay-rights activists in Denver have said they plan to try to pass a civil-unions measure in the state Legislature before seeking a change to the state constitution.