NH House Rejects Gay Marriage Ban

The New Hampshire house of representatives rejected a proposed ballot initiative to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

House members voted against the initiative by a margin of 201-135 Wednesday afternoon. Supporters needed the votes of 60% of house members to get the initiative on the ballot, according to the Associated Press. The state legislature last year passed a marriage equality bill, which went into effect January 1.

According to the Union-Leader newspaper, sponsors of the initiative attempted to delay the vote until March 17, but that move was also rejected.

If the initiative had ended up on the ballot in November, it would have needed the approval of two thirds of voters to pass.