Overview
- Question 2 passed in the November 3 vote with Decision Desk HQ reporting about 56 percent for and 43 percent against as results were called by the Associated Press.
- The amendment removes the 2006 Marshall‑Newman ban and adds language that protects lawful marriages between two adults regardless of sex, gender, or race and requires equal treatment under state law.
- Federal court rulings including the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision already made same‑sex marriages enforceable, but the new state text gives Virginia a separate constitutional guarantee at the state level.
- Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the enabling legislation in February and Equality Virginia led a statewide campaign to place the question before voters and secure its passage.
- For couples in Virginia the change offers a clear state constitutional safeguard and the removal of the ban also carries symbolic weight that could reduce legal and political uncertainty if future federal rulings shift.