Ballot measure on gays clearer after agreement

The voters are the winners in an agreement that was reached between two state officials regarding the wording for the ballot description of a proposition regarding gay marriage on the November ballot.
 
Arizona's Secretary of State Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard were able to reach a compromise on the wording which ended a lawsuit brought by Brewer against Goddard. Now voters will know the full meaning of the proposition.
 
The dispute centered around whether it should be explained to voters that a marriage between homosexuals in Arizona is already illegal under state law. Proposition 102 seeks to make that prohibition part of the state's constitution, thus giving it more permanence than might be possible with a state statute.
 
Goddard, who approves ballot summaries for propositions, refused to do so unless it contained an explanation that gay marriages are already illegal in Arizona without the need for a constitutional amendment. Brewer insisted that would confuse voters and refused to add the information. She sued to force Goddard to approve her ballot summary version without that wording.
 
The compromise that was reached was a reasonable one. Brewer agreed Tuesday to accept Goddard's desired wording and Goddard agreed to include wording to inform voters there would be no constitutional prohibition unless the proposition is passed.
 
The agreement should now allow voters to be fully informed about what the measure proposes. While there will still be disagreement over the need or lack of need for the constitutional prohibition, voters will have enough information to be able to make an informed decision when they mark their ballot.