Romania's marriage referendum fails due to low turnout

[Eugene]

Source: Politico

BISTRIŢA, Romania — A referendum in Romania seeking to restrict the definition of marriage to being between a man and a woman failed Sunday as voter turnout remained too low for the vote to be valid.

Turnout was recorded at 20.41 percent during two days of voting, well below the 30 percent needed for the referendum to count.

Romania does not recognize same-sex marriages, but the referendum advocated for a constitutional change that would ultimately prevent gay couples from obtaining this right in the future.

Backers of the constitutional change, however, said the move was not targeting gay people but was rather meant to strengthen a right heterosexual couples already have.

-snip-

By ANCA GURZU 10/7/18, 9:52 PM CET Updated 10/7/18, 10:35 PM CET


Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/romania-same-sex-marriage-referendum-fails-due-to-low-turnout/

[Mosby]

1. I like the idea of a minimum turnout.

[dickthegrouch]

2. So Happy to hear it failed

Backers always have snide, self-serving ways of presenting their odious ideas.

I think they'd have had a hell of a time defending it against EU rules, however. Romania is a full member of the EU and member states can't discriminate in that way.

[malthaussen]

3. Guess nobody cared, eh?

In this country, there would be a larger turnout because of all the antis. But apathy is a dangerous strategy -- you can't be sure enough of the other side won't show up to matter.

-- Mal