After the most expensive constitutional amendment campaign in Minnesota history, the state became the first in the nation to reject a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage Tuesday.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, amendment supporters had garnered 1,374,189 votes, or 48 percent, just short of the 50 percent or greater total needed to approve the amendment.

The Minnesota amendment asked: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?”

According to exit poll data, the marriage ban was opposed by a majority of women and backed by a majority of men. Votes were also divided by age, with voters under 50 against it by a substantial majority and those over 50 strongly in favor. Seven in 10 voters who attend religious services, and four in five born-again or evangelical voters supported it.

“No” votes stood at 1,479,829, or 51 percent. Blank ballots, which equaled a “no” vote, totaled 33,876, or about 1 percent.

“This conversation doesn’t end tonight. It’s only just begun,” said Richard Carlbom, campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, which fought the gay marriage ban. “Because we beat this amendment, Minnesota is in a position to ensure that the next generation can participate in the conversation about who can participate in marriage.”

Minnesota’s rejection of the gay marriage ban was just one piece of a big night for gay activists and their allies nationwide. In Maine and Maryland, voters legalized gay marriage; in Washington, a measure to the same was leading. The wins were a resounding reversal of a 32-state winning streak for gay marriage opponents.

Because a state law remains on the books, the vote does not automatically allow same-sex weddings. However, with a newly elected Democratic-Farmer-Labor-controlled Legislature and a DFL governor, the subject is to be debated when lawmakers take office in January.

The marriage amendment mobilized thousands of volunteers and attracted $16 million in campaign contributions, drawing far more passion than the state’s presidential or Senate contests.

Amendment supporters said it was necessary to keep legislators or judges from someday forcing gay marriage on the public. Opponents called it discrimination.

Voter ID amendment

Minnesota went against the trend in other states to approve voter ID.

The amendment asked: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require the state to provide free identification to eligible voters, effective July 1, 2013?”

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, the amendment had 1,344,758 “yes” votes, or 46 percent. That was short of the 50 percent or greater total necessary for passage.

“No” votes totaled 1,522,860, or 52 percent, with blank ballots – which count as “no” votes” – totaling 41,785, or 1 percent.

In Minnesota, Democrats argued that photo ID is meant to make voting tougher for certain groups that tend to favor Democrats: elderly people, the poor, college students and members of minority groups. Local government officials have also said the ID requirement would be a costly mandate.

Eric Fought, spokesman for the campaign that opposed the measure in Minnesota, said its backers never convinced voters that the requirement was actually necessary.

“They did not provide the details people needed to vote yes on this. There were too many questions left unanswered and too many doubts,” Fought said.

Republican state lawmakers around the country have pushed the photo ID requirement in recent years, arguing it would enhance the integrity of election results and crack down on possible voter fraud.

Dan McGrath, who led the campaign for the measure, said he and supporters would “continue to work towards greater integrity and transparency in our election process.”

The defeat of the photo ID requirement was surprising, with the proposal drawing strong support in polls for months. The amendment was put on the ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Those same Republicans also lost their House and Senate majorities on Tuesday.

Hannah Anderson can be reached at ande5385@stthomas.edu. The Associated Press contributed to this report.