Ballot Name Changed for Marriage Initiative

Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer has ordered the name of a March ballot measure to ban same-sex marriages in California changed from “Definition of Marriage” to “Limit on Marriage.”

Lockyer made his ruling, which affects the measure’s title on the ballot and in other official election materials, Tuesday in response to a complaint by opponents that the original title was misleading.

Lockyer spokesman Nathan Barankin said the change was made to ensure that the initiative was correctly described to the public.

“Our obligation under the law is, in as few words as possible, to accurately portray what the initiative does, not just how the proponents view it,” Barankin said. “When we issue a title and summary for the circulating petitions, it’s like a first draft and those can be changed,” he said.

Critics of the initiative said the first title was inaccurate.

“The original title was just one of many attempts by the Knight campaign to mislead voters,” said spokeswoman Tracey Conaty of the No on Knight Committee, which takes its name from principal author of the measure, state Sen. William “Pete” Knight (R-Palmdale).

But Robert Glazier, a spokesman for Knight’s Protection of Marriage campaign committee, said the original title “was fairly straightforward and accurate. All it does is clarify our law. The new title is clearly misleading and biased. It is by no means a limitation on marriage.”

The initiative will appear as Proposition 22 on the March 7, 2000, primary ballot.