National Association of Marriage Enhancement -NAME- Values Voters' Message: Mandate for Marriage

PHOENIX—-"Values voters determined this presidential election's results," said Dr. Leo Godzich, executive director of the National Association of Marriage Enhancement (NAME). "Some tried to marginalize marriage, but marriage made the margin of difference, both as an issue and as an institution."

Reports by major news networks showed that the No. 1 issue that determined voter preference in Tuesday's election was "Moral Issues." In 11 states, including presidential election battleground states Ohio and Michigan, voters approved constitutional amendments protecting traditional marriage by decisive margins. Two other states, Missouri and Louisiana, approved constitutional amendments defining marriage in elections earlier this year. Even in states where Sen. John Kerry won the popular vote, Michigan and Oregon, the constitutional marriage amendments won by huge margins of 18 and 14 percent, respectively.

While opponents of constitutional marriage amendments declared the issue to be divisive, results showed the opposite.

"There has never been an issue pertaining to state constitutions that created a sweep in 11 states in one election," observed Godzich. "The substantial margins of victory on this issue clearly indicate that marriage between a man and a woman only is a uniter, not a divider as some would imply."

Godzich said a renewed effort to see a federal marriage amendment will begin as soon as the next Congress is sworn in.

"America has spoken loudly in defense of the historical definition of marriage as between a man and a woman only, and elected officials ought to fulfill the will of their constituents," said Godzich. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) one of the principal obstructionists of the president's Healthy Marriage Initiative is now the first U.S. Senate leader to be voted out of office in 50 years.

Godzich is the president and executive director of NAME and chairman and founder of the Covenant Marriage Movement. Godzich and NAME's work on the president's Healthy Marriage Initiative were featured in a front page Sunday New York Times article earlier this year. "This mandate is not about government intrusion into the institution of marriage, but it is about supporting the dream of the Americans everywhere to have healthy marriages which benefit society, now and for future generations."

Godzich is available for interviews.


Media Contacts

WDC Media
Susan Zahn, 866-763-1702
www.wdcmedia.com

or

NAME
Dan Godzich, 602-404-2600
www.nameonline.net