WASHINGTON — Opponents of same-sex marriage argued before D.C.'s Board of Elections that they should be able to try to put a measure on the city ballot that would give voters the option of banning same-sex unions.

The Board of Elections began meeting Monday morning to hear testimony on an initiative that would go on the 2010 ballot. It would ask voters to decide whether they want "only marriage between a man and woman" to be valid in the city.

The two-member board will not vote Monday on whether the measure meets requirements to go on the ballot. At Monday's hearing, the board members seemed particularly concerned that the initiative may violate the city's Human Rights Act, which among other things prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to D.C. elections law, a referendum cannot appear on the ballot if it violates the city's human rights laws...