Poll: Majority in NC oppose same-sex marriage amendment

[supernova]

Source: WRAL.com

ELON, N.C. — Fifty-six percent of North Carolina residents oppose a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriages, according to a poll released Friday.

The Elon University Poll, which surveyed 594 adults statewide between Sunday and Thursday, found support for recognizing gay marriages growing in North Carolina. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Forty-four percent of respondents to a March 2009 Elon poll opposed any legal recognition of gay marriage in the state, but that stance was down to 34 percent in the latest poll. Meanwhile, a third of those polled this week back full marriage rights for same-sex couples, up from 21 percent in March 2009.

Thirty-nine percent of respondents to the latest poll back the proposed amendment, which will appear on the ballot next May after lawmakers passed it this month. Two years ago, 43 percent of respondents supported an amendment.

Read more: http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/10206010/

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I am glad that Elon did this poll before next Spring's primaries. We may not be the most progressive state, however, we generally don't like people with axes to grind to go dicking around with the state constitution.

It really will be a matter of turnout, otherwise the minority will win.

edit: grammar

[RKP5637]

1. This is good to know! We do way too much in this country to criticize and

ostracize groups of people. It's gone on throughout this countries history. We, as a country, need to grow up.

[yardwork]

2. This is before NOM and the rest of the hate groups pour money into TV and radio ads

[liberalhistorian]

3. I don't understand, and have never understood, why

people are allowed to vote on the basic civil rights of others. If NC and other states (yes, including non-southern states) had been permitted to vote on whether to extend basic human rights to blacks and other minorities during the civil rights movement we would likely still have legalized segregation and Jim Crow laws.

The majority used to be against interracial marriage as well, as if the marriages of others, and who people fall in love with, are anyone else's damn business.

[supernova]

9. Agreed

It's an abuse of the referendum concept. We should be voting on things like school bonds, parks, or even whether to serve alcohol. All of those things are good things for this process. But the idea of equal beings voting on the rights of other equal beings is just horrendous.

[No Elephants]

11. All the states at the time WERE allowed to vote on whether to extend

civil rights to others.

That was the 13th and the 14th amendments to the Constitution of the United States, which abolished slavery and brought equal rights into being.


The problem with Jim Crow was a Supreme Court decision, Plessy v. Ferguson, which said "separate but equal" does not voilate the equal rights amendment.

That was not overruled until the 1950s, when the SCOTUS decided Brown v. Bd. of Education, requiring integration of public schools, after an attorney (later Justice Thurgood Marshall) convinced the court that schools were not equal, and, even if they were, that could never be just.

[McCamy Taylor]

4. But they will not turn out to vote on it the way the Tea Baggers will.

[Tunkamerica]

6. Because the date of the vote is the republican primary

[No Elephants]

12. I don't get that. Usually, it's the day of a Presidential election, to GOTV for Rethugs.

The idea is to beat Democrats.

By making the vote on primary day, they are favoring Perry or Bachmann or Rick (frothy substance--google it!) Santorum.

[yardwork]

23. The primary is not until May. By then the Republicans figure they will have chosen a nominee.

The Republicans in NC moved the date of the vote on the bigoted constitutional amendment because their own polls were showing that it might be defeated in a general election.

[totodeinhere]

10. That worries me too. Polls had Prop 8 losing in California if my memory serves me correctly.

And we all know how that turned out. This is going to be a tough one.

[Meandering Kitten]

22. The people in NC better vote.

Voting this down is not just good policy but will embarrass the right wing.

[ffr]

5. Uh, but what if I need a job?

Where are the priorities of the political leadership? WTH!

[supernova]

8. Welcome to DU, ffr!

:hi:

As to your question, sometime since Reagan the Repubs made a decision that they will be the party of opposition, not governance. Even when they are in power they think of ways to throw hissy fits and generally interfere with the business of this country.

[No Elephants]

13. Just think. If you ever do get a job, you can sleep soundly, knowing

that none of the gay people in your workplace are married to each other.

And that make you enjoy your paycheck--if you ever get one--that much more.

Welcome to DU. (I'm a sarcastic poster. Pleased to meet you.)

[alp227]

14. i've seen a political cartoon with that kind of sentiment

I can't find it though but I think I posted it on DU last year or 2009.

[customerserviceguy]

7. I certainly hope this poll

is not leading us down the garden path. It would be quite ironic if North Carolina were the first state to reject staining its constitution with homophobia. If that happens, then maybe we need to get the issue back on the ballots in the blue states that screwed up the first time around.

[supernova]

15. Not at all out of character

We were the first colony to call for independence.

http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/commentary/20/entry">Edenton Resolves

[customerserviceguy]

20. And, to their credit

they were among the last of the Confederate states to join the secession. However, in my few trips through NC, I've noticed a LOT of fundie churches, and if NC really did turn this back, it would surprise me quite greatly.

[Blue_Tires]

24. Yeah, I think some people want to give the PC answer when being polled

as not to appear as bigots in public (see the Helms-Gantt race in '90)...

But if the poll is accurate, it's good to see public sentiment starting to change...We passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in VA back in 06 and it was a landslide...

[bluestateguy]

16. That's good, but caveat

Voting down the amendment will not legalize gay marriage in North Carolina.

[Unvanguard]

17. The amendment will probably pass in NC.

Even assuming these poll results hold up, the vote is scheduled for the primary election date, when there will be a Republican presidential primary but no (important) Democratic presidential primary. So the turnout will almost certainly be skewed substantially Republican.

[BR_Parkway]

18. Our only (slim) hope to defeat it is mail in ballots - get everyone registered

between now and when that window opens, then get the mail in's going - it's a shame, the GLBT community has pioneered using social media to meet (and hookup) - aol, craigslist, gay.com, manhunt, adam4adam, now Grindr - but we never can seem to use those same tools to organize ourselves enough to make things happen at the ballot box

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

19. I wish somebody would do a poll about opposite-sex marriage amendment.

The only way to stop this madness is to just get rid of marriage altogether.

[Meandering Kitten]

21. The tea party will go bananas if they don't get this one.

[CRK7376]

25. I sure hope

my state knocks down this absurd amendment. I'm not holding my breath though, it's being voted on a Repub primary day....