The money behind the 2006 Marriage Amendments

By: Moore, Megan
Published by: National Institute on Money in Sate Politics, 2007
Via: Docuticker

State-level constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in nine states in 2006 sparked $18 million in contributions to ballot measure committees formed to support or to oppose the amendments, a new study shows. Opponents of the measures raised three times more than proponents overall and raised more than proponents in every state except Tennessee, even though the amendments passed in every state except Arizona, the report by the National Institute on Money in State Politics found.

The 2006 same-sex amendment battles saw the formation of the Gill Action Fund to oppose the amendments, just as 2004 featured the rise of the Arlington Group, a national conservative Christian network, to promote them. Gay-rights activist Tim Gill — developer of the Quark software company — founded the Gill Action Fund, which contributed nearly $3.8 million to ballot measure committees in 2006. He also inspired other wealthy donors to give generously to committees opposing the amendments. Gill-related contributions made up nearly 38 percent of funds to opposing committees, or nearly $5.3 million, the report notes.

(http://www.followthemoney.org/press/Reports/200707231.pdf)