A narrow majority of Washington state
voters say they support equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian
couples.
According to a Public
Policy Polling survey of 1,073 Washington voters conducted
between June 14 – 17, a majority (51%) of respondents said they
support gay marriage, while 42 percent were opposed. Seven percent
refused to answer.
“A majority of Washington voters now
support gay marriage,” Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy
Polling, said in releasing the poll's findings. “Equality
advocates are in position now to go 4 for 4 this fall, winning
Minnesota, Maryland and Maine in addition to Washington.”
The country's “evolution” on gay
nuptials will be put to the test this fall in these four states.
Washington and Maryland voters will be asked to uphold – or reject
– laws legalizing gay marriage approved by lawmakers. Minnesota
voters will decide whether to place the state's law which bans gay
nuptials in the Minnesota Constitution. Maine's ballot question asks
voters if they would like to legalize gay marriage.
The poll also found that an
overwhelming majority of Washington voters (77%) support recognizing
gay couples with either marriage (47%) or civil unions (30%).
Twenty-one percent said there should be no legal recognition of a gay
couple's relationship.