PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The North Carolina constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman passed with 61% of voters being in favor of the amendment.

In all, only seven counties in the state voted to oppose the amendment. Those were: Wake, Orange, Durham, Chatham, Mecklenburg, Buncombe and Watauga.

Four out of the five counties in the WECT viewing area voted overwhelmingly in favor of the amendment. Pender County was above the state-wide average with 68% of voters in favor of the constitutional amendment.

The constitutional amendment reads, "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts."