Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, has spelled out his views on gay marriage on the eve of the election.
The White House front-runner said in an interview with MTV he did not support same-sex weddings and believed "marriage is between a man and a woman".
But the Illinois senator reaffirmed his opposition to a proposition on the ballot in California that would change the state constitution to overturn a ruling that recently gave gay couples the right to marry.
"When you start playing around with constitutions just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that's not what America is about," the senator said.
"Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don't contract them," he added.
The Democratic presidential nominee voiced strong support for civil unions between same-sex couples "that provide legal rights to same-sex couples (so) that they can visit each other in the hospital if they get sick, (so) they can transfer property to each other. If they've got benefits, they can make sure those benefits apply to their partners."
He added: "I think that's the direction we need to go in. I think young people are ahead of the curve on this for the most part. Their attitude, generally, is that we should be respectful of all people, and that's the kind of politics I want to practice."
In the interview, Mr Obama described California's Proposition 8, which residents will vote on on Tuesday, as "unnecessary". Opponents of the measure hope Mr Obama's position will encourage voters in the Democratic state to defeat it.
The senator also opposes the federal Defence of Marriage Act that prevents states from having to recognise same-sex marriages performed in other states and voted against a federal constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. >>> By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles | November 4, 2008
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