Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the State Constitution barring gay marriage, becoming the first state to answer what has become a growing question since same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting, the amendment had garnered 70 percent of the vote.

Voters in at least 9 other states -- and perhaps as many as 12 -- are expected to consider similar amendments this fall, so advocates on both sides of the debate were intensely watching Missouri's results, anxious about what they might say about voters elsewhere in the weeks ahead.
