(Washington) Ballot measures to deny marriage rights to gays and lesbians are being decided today in three states, while in a fourth that already bans same-sex marriage marriage, voters are being asked to endorse a ban on gay adoption.

Voters in California, Florida and Arizona are being asked to approve amendments to their state constitutions to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. The measure in Florida also would bar civil unions and block the state from recognizing the relationship of any unmarried couple – straight or gay.

In Arkansas, the ballot measure on adoption would limit adoptions and foster care of children only to people who are legally married.

Public opinion polls in all four states show the initiatives are statistically close.

The measure in California, known as Proposition 8, would overturn the state Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriages by changing the state constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman.

On Saturday more than 13,000 people attended a rally in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium to pray for the passage of Proposition 8. Saturday night, nearly 10,000 opponents of the amendment – including Republican mayor Jerry Sanders held their own rally in San Diego.

The battle over same-sex marriage in California has seen millions of dollars flow into the campaigns on both sides of the issue – much of it from outside the state – and has resulted in a number of incidents throughout California.

Last week a cyber attack brought down the “No on Prop 8″ campaign Web site. The FBI and Secret Service are investigating.

In Fresno, police are investigating death threats against two local supporters of Proposition 8.

Mayor Alan Autry and Pastor Jim Franklin of the Cornerstone Church received what police call very detailed threats that mentioned their participation in Saturday’s rally.

In Torrance, a man has been charged with a felony hate crime assault for allegedly using an anti-gay marriage “Yes on Prop. 8″ lawn sign to attack a gay man wearing a “No on 8″ button.

In Bakersfield, a local leader of the campaign for the ballot measure was videotaped at a pro-gay marriage rally kicking and punching a protester. The protester, who had been heckling him, declined to press charges.

Thousands of lawn signs are promoting the two sides on the issue throughout California and each side is accusing the other of stealing and defacing the signs.

In Roseville, three young people were arrested on suspicion of stealing “Yes on 8″ signs from several front yards. Yes signs have been torched and stolen in a number of other areas of state. In another instance, No signs were stolen from in front of the home of a married lesbian couple and replaced with a half-dozen Yes signs.

The battle over a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage has been almost as intense in Florida.

Florida already has a law restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples, but supporters of the amendment say the law could be overturned in court.

Opponents of the proposed amendment say in addition to barring gay marriage, it would bar civil unions and would be used to deny partner benefits to unmarried couples who live together.

The proposed amendment says, “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”

Florida Red & Blue, which is fighting the proposed amendment, filed a complaint last month with the Florida Elections Commission alleging that Florida4Marriage – the organization behind the measure – is encouraging donors to give money to Florida Family Action Inc., a not-for-profit agency that then turned money over to Florida4Marriage.

By donating to the non-profit donors do not have to be identified. People giving money directly to Florida4Marriage would be required to have their names filed with the commission making the names accessible to the public.

In its complaint, Red & Blue cites an email sent by Florida4Marriage leader John Stemberger to supporters encouraging opponents of gay marriage to donate to the non-profit so their names would not become public.

Arizona voters for a second time are being asked to change the state’s constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Arizona voters rejected a similar state constitutional amendment in 2006. That measure would have also stopped the state from recognizing civil unions of same-sex couples.

Arizona law already prohibits same-sex marriages. Supporters say this proposal would protect the sanctity of families by preventing judges from overturning the 1996 state law.

In Arkansas, the issue is a referendum that would force lawmakers to enact a ban on all unmarried couples from fostering children.

The measure grew out of a state Supreme Court ruling last year that overturned a Child Welfare Agency Review Board policy that banned gay people from serving as foster parents.

In its unanimous ruling, the court said that “the driving force behind adoption of the regulations was not to promote the health, safety and welfare of foster children but rather based upon the board’s views of morality and its bias against homosexuals.”

The Arkansas Family Council – the same group that spearheaded Arkansas’ constitutional ban on same-sex marriage – collected enough signatures to place the adoption referendum before voters.

In a fifth state, a potential anti-gay measure is on the ballot.  Connecticut voters are being asked to approve a call for state constitutional convention.

Under the state constitution, the question automatically goes on the ballot only every 20 years.

Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court ruled that Connecticut’s civil unions law failed to provide equality. The first same-sex marriages in the state are slated to begin Nov. 12.

By chance, the automatic ballot question comes up this year, raising fears that if voters agree to a constitutional convention it will be used to bar gay marriage.

The Family Institute of Connecticut has already gone on record calling for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.