Support for Referendum 74, the
Washington state referendum on a gay marriage law, holds a 15-point
lead, according to a survey released Friday.
The poll was commissioned by KING 5 TV
in Seattle and conducted by SurveyUSA, which interviewed 540
Washington adults in person and by telephone.
Fifty-five percent of respondents said
they support keeping the law approved by lawmakers, while 40 percent
disagreed. Six
percent said they were not sure.
Compared to a SurveyUSA poll released
last month, the race has tightened 3 percentage points, cutting
supporters' lead from 18 points down to 15.
Strong support for the measure is found
in western Washington (60% in favor, 34% opposed), while strong
opposition is found in the eastern half (33% in favor, 62% opposed).
With only 6 percent of respondents
undecided, passage looks promising. No U.S. state has ever voted to
enact marriage equality – though Washington did uphold a domestic
partnership law which gave gay couples all the rights of marriage.
The issue also appears on the ballot in Maryland and Maine, where
polls also appear promising for supporters. And a proposed amendment
to the Minnesota constitution which would define marriage as a
heterosexual union is trailing in the polls by 1 percent.