Politics / North Carolina NC Inches Closer to Vote on Gay Marriage Ban House already passed bill, so it will go to voters By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Sep 14, 2011 11:03 AM CDT Copied LF Eason of Cary, NC, looks up at his flag during a rally against the state constitutional amendment on Halifax Mall in Raleigh, NC, on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) North Carolina residents will vote on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, after the state Senate voted 30-16 yesterday to put it on the ballot in May. Every Republican in attendance voted yes, giving the bill exactly the 30 votes it needed to pass, the News & Observer reports. The House had already passed the bill Monday amid protests; about 500 protesters rallied again yesterday. Click for more on the bill, which is essentially guaranteed to pass. (More North Carolina stories.) Report an error