Save Our Horses says the firm, Ballot Access Company of Phoenix, was getting paid more per signature for the marriage initiative.

The Bush administration's marriage initiative is justified by the president's statement that "strong marriages and stable families are incredibly good for children."

When President Bush announced his marriage initiative four years ago, some liberal poverty experts were skeptical.

In New York (with the lowest divorce rate - 2.5 per 1,000) and New Jersey (3.1), marriage initiatives have not come up.

The civil marriage initiative would make the religious nature of marriage entirely voluntary, effectively separating religion and state in this matter.