Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- California voters were close to ending same-sex marriages, Massachusetts defeated a plan to scrap its income tax, and South Dakota for a second time struck down a bid to outlaw almost all abortions.

The measures were among the 153 state ballot issues decided in 36 states yesterday as voters elected Democrat Barack Obama, 47, president. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, 52 percent of California voters were backing a constitutional amendment to halt homosexual nuptials, which began five months ago after the state's top court overruled a ban passed by voters in 2000. Similar prohibitions passed in Florida and Arizona.

``There was a lot at stake here,'' said Sonja Eddings Brown, a spokeswoman for the ballot measure in California. ``We knew one way or another, the outcome would send shockwaves throughout the country. We are at a cultural crossroads.''

The ballot measures touched some of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics and came as Democrats gained the White House, expanded their control of Congress and added to the majority of state governorships they won two years ago.

The measures also turned on local concerns, including raising money for construction projects, expanding casino gambling and funding schools. Separate proposals to roll back income taxes, a pillar of the Republican Party for the past three decades, were defeated in Massachusetts and Oregon.

Tax-Cut Measures

``It looks like voters are rejecting the major tax-cut measures,'' said Jennifer Bowser, who follows state ballot issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver.

California's move to end gay marriage comes more than four years after San Francisco ignited a furor by becoming the first place in the country to allow homosexuals to wed. That set off a legal fight that was resolved in May, when the state Supreme Court found that a ban against the practice was at odds with California's constitution.

The campaign to amend the constitution drew more than $70 million to the two principal campaigns involved in the issue. Backers said it would lead to homosexuality being taught to school children, while opponents drew support from Google Inc.'s founders and other prominent Californians.

Rushing to Marry

Concern that the ban would pass -- as it did in 2000 -- led thousands of couples to marry ahead of the vote, though it's unclear that their unions will be immune from legal challenge. In San Francisco, Rodney Marchetta said he was assured that his vows wouldn't be voided as he waited at City Hall to take his vows.

``Once we're married, we're married,'' said Marchetta, 64, who was wed to Michael Sweeney, 52.

The election leaves Massachusetts as the only U.S. state where gay couples have the same marriage rights as heterosexuals.

Also in California, voters defeated a $5 billion bond measure championed by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., a provider of natural gas for transportation co-founded by Texas billionaire Boone Pickens.

The measure, which would have awarded rebates to residents who buy alternative-fuel vehicles and subsidized research into renewable energy technologies, was losing with 60 percent disapproval, according to state returns. A plan to sell $10 billion of bonds to build a high-speed train in the state was winning by 52 percent.

Another California measure, setting minimal standards for living space for farm animals, appeared headed for passage, with support from 63 percent of voters.

Elsewhere, Colorado voters were defeating a $321 million tax increase on oil and gas companies working in the state by 58 percent of the vote, according to the Denver Post.

Green Power Loss

California voters were also defeating a measure to force utilities to get half their power from renewable sources, such as solar energy, by 2025. Missouri approved a less stringent measure, which will require utilities to generate at least 15 percent of their electricity from such sources by 2021.

South Dakota defeated for a second time a proposal to ban almost all abortions with 55 percent of the vote, according to state election returns. The loss is a blow to an effort to prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 decision allowing women to terminate unwanted pregnancies.

A Colorado measure that would effectively ban abortion and extend individual rights to unborn children was headed for defeat, with 72 percent opposed and 86 percent of precincts reporting, according to results posted by the Denver Post.

Measures to end the use of racial preferences were on the ballots in two states. The measure passed in Nebraska, while in Colorado the results were too close to call.

Tax Cut Defeats

Massachusetts voters defeated repealing the state's income tax, while a separate measure to decriminalize the use of marijuana was backed by voters. Oregon defeated a bid to allow residents to deduct unlimited amounts of federal income taxes on their state returns -- averting an estimated $1 billion blow to the budget.

New Jersey voters passed a constitutional amendment expanding their say over state debt, which has tripled in a decade amid borrowing to balance budgets and close deficits. The measure, endorsed by Governor Jon Corzine, requires voter approval for any state authority or agency to sell bonds backed by money set aside to repay them.

In Maryland, voters turned to gambling to find a new source of revenue. Voters there approved a plan to allow as many as 15,000 video slot machines in the state to raise revenue, according to the Associated Press.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Selway in San Francisco at wselway@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 5, 2008 11:46 EST