N.C. becomes 30th state with marriage amend.

North Carolina voters have made the state the 30th in the U.S. to define marriage within a constitution as between a man and a woman, passing a proposal that had drawn nationwide attention by a margin even larger than pre-election surveys. With all counties reported, the amendment passed easily Tuesday (May 8), 61-39 percent. Critics said the North Carolina amendment was unnecessary because the state already defines marriage in the traditional sense, but supporters countered that North Carolina needed such an amendment to prevent a state court from legalizing gay “marriage,” as happened in Massachusetts, Iowa and Connecticut.