SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2004 - California voters approved a ballot measure on Tuesday to spend $3 billion over the next 10 years on research of human embryonic stem cells, the largest state-run scientific research effort in the country.

Unofficial results showed the measure passed with 59 percent of the vote.

The measure, Proposition 71, was backed by an assortment of wealthy business people, Hollywood personalities, scientists and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, who broke ranks with President Bush and the California Republican Party on the contentious issue.

The Bush administration has placed restrictions on using public money for research on embryonic stem cells, citing opposition to the destruction of human embryos. Last year, the federal government spent $25 million on stem cell studies; with the passage of Proposition 71, California will spend $300 million a year beginning in 2005.

The measure calls for the establishment of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which is expected to become the nation's incubator for stem cell studies. The state will pay for the effort by issuing $3 billion in general obligation bonds at an estimated cost of $6 billion over the next 30 years.

Though there is disagreement over the use of human embryos for research, many scientists and patient advocacy groups say they believe stem cells have great potential for deriving therapies and cures for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Voters in California, where legislating by initiative has been a long established practice, had 15 other measures on the ballot, the most of any state. They covered such subjects as relaxing the state's "three strikes" law for repeat offenders and establishing a mandatory "pay or play" system of health coverage for certain employers. Both measures were defeated.

Nationwide, voters in 34 states considered a total of 163 statewide ballot measures, approving or rejecting new laws on taxation, gambling, hunting, health care, immigration, election reform and a host of other subjects.

In Arizona, immigration was the topic of a fiercely contested measure that was approved with 56 percent of the vote. The measure, Proposition 200, requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote and denies certain state and local benefits to illegal immigrants.

Opponents are expected to mount legal challenges to the law. That was the case in California, when a similar measure passed 10 years ago but was struck down in the courts.

Several states had ballot measures dealing with marijuana. Montana voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, and Oregon turned down a proposal to expand its uses of medical marijuana. In Alaska, voters rejected a measure that would have legalized marijuana use for those over 21, with 57 percent opposed. Hunting and sportsmen groups fought back efforts in both Alaska and Maine to place restrictions on the use of bait in bear hunting.

In Florida, a constitutional amendment related to abortion and teenage pregnancy won handily with 65 percent of the vote. The law limits the privacy rights of girls under 18, paving the way for parental notification before a minor has an abortion.

Several states had measures dealing with election changes. In Arkansas, voters rejected Amendment 1, which called for extending term limits for state legislators to 12 years from 6 years. In California, voters turned down a measure that would have replaced party primaries with open primaries, while voters in Washington approved a modified open primary system.

Mr. Schwarzenegger took a particular interest in 10 of the California initiatives, though he was not the author of any of them, unlike the budget-related measures on the ballot in March.

The governor spent the final days before the election traversing the state, with his stated priority the defeat of two competing measures that would allow the expansion of casino-style gambling. The two measures were defeated by big margins.

On crime, Californians defeated a measure that would have limited the state's three-strikes law.

BOSTON - The national Election Day backlash against gay marriage never reached the state blamed for triggering it: Every Massachusetts lawmaker on the ballot who supported gay rights won another term in the Legislature.

The election outcome, combined with the ascendancy of a new state House speaker who supports gay rights, has left in doubt the fate of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Massachusetts.

The amendment, which would also legalize civil unions, won first-round approval from lawmakers earlier this year. It must be approved again by the newly elected 200-member Legislature before it can be submitted to the voters for ratification in November 2006.

"I think we are in a far, far better position than ever before," said Josh Friedes, spokesman for the Massachusetts Freedom to Marry Coalition. "The electorate showed that it was incredibly tolerant."

Massachusetts set off a national firestorm last November, when its high court ruled that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to wed. In May, Massachusetts held the nation's first state-sanctioned gay weddings. The move led Massachusetts and other states to introduce measures banning same-sex marriage.

The Massachusetts amendment was passed in March on a 105-92 vote. On Tuesday, all 84 of the incumbents who opposed the amendment and sought re-election were successful.

Three opponents of gay marriage lost their seats during the September primaries, but gay marriage appeared to play a significant role in only one race. Two of the three were replaced by challengers who have vowed to oppose the amendment.

"The vote in Massachusetts is proof positive of what we've said, which is that this is not a career-ending vote," said Arline Isaacson, co-leader of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus.

Gay-marriage supporters are also encouraged by the selection of Rep. Salvatore DiMasi as House speaker. The Boston Democrat is an ardent supporter of gay rights who replaced a very conservative speaker in late September.

The results Tuesday in Massachusetts contrasted sharply with the across-the-board victories for anti-gay marriage measures that were on the ballot in 11 states Tuesday.

"Our state is certainly totally out of step with the rest of the nation,"said Kris Mineau, leader of the Massachusetts Family Institute, the organization that has led the fight against gay marriage in Massachusetts. "Massachusetts residents must be beginning to ask themselves, `How come we're different than the rest of the country?'"

One possible difference is that same-sex marriage has been a reality in Massachusetts for six months, rather than the hypothetical threat feared by citizens in other states. Hundreds of same-sex couples have been wed in Massachusetts without uproar since the spring.