http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122586056759900673.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_mostpop

Early poll results Tuesday night showed California voters leaning toward overturning same-sex marriage in the state in a decision that could impact how the issue plays out elsewhere in the nation.

Approval of Proposition 8 would be a stunning upset in a $70-million campaign that just weeks ago looked to be running in favor of preserving gay marriage rights.

By 9 p.m. in California, 54.5 % of voters favored passing Prop 8, as the measure is known, and 45.5% were against it, with 20.9% of precincts voting, according to the Secretary of State. However, both sides cautioned that the vote could be very close and that it might still be early to declare a winner.

The passage of Prop 8, as it is known, would be a major victory for religious conservatives seeking to ban gay marriage in other states, and a crippling setback for the gay rights movement nationwide.