Same-sex marriage ban fails in Romania due to low voter turnout

A referendum to ban same-sex marriage in Romania has failed due to low voter turnout in the country.

The ballot asked voters whether they supported a constitutional change that would define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Just 20.4 percent of eligible voters participated in the referendum over two days of voting, well below the 30 percent voter turnout needed to be valid, according to the BBC.

{mosads}Romania already does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions.

The change had the backing of the Romanian government’s ruling Social Democratic Party, and polls conducted as recently as Friday showed that the vast majority of the population — as much as 90 percent — also supported it, according to the BBC.

Proponents of the referendum said that the purpose of the change would be “to protect, at a constitutional level, the definition of marriage – between one woman and one man.”

Opponents urging Romanians to vote “no” on the referendum pushed for a boycott of the vote to bring turnout down, according to the BBC.