With less than 3 weeks before Election
Day, Maryland voters appear increasingly likely to uphold a gay
marriage law approved by lawmakers.
According to a poll released Thursday
by The Washington Post, a narrow majority (52%) of
voters say they favor the law. Forty-three percent of respondents
say they will vote against the legislation.
The measure's 9-point lead comes after
opponents began airing ads calling on Marylanders to vote down
Question 6, including one featuring
Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk.
A key demographic in the state is the
African-American vote, which both camps have heavily targeted.
The
Post poll found 56 percent of white voters support marriage
equality, while 39 percent remain opposed. But opposition among
black voters holds an 11-point lead: 42 percent of black voters
support the measure, and 53 percent oppose it.
That's a stark difference to a
Baltimore Sun poll released earlier this month which found
less than a quarter of black voters against the measure.
“I think given the day and time we
live in, and the progression of how society has changed, I would
support same-sex marriage,” Lindsay, an African-American who lives
in Temple Hills, told
the Post. “If someone is your life partner, that person
should be able to assist in making life-and-death decisions; it
shouldn't be up to some family member you haven't seen in 20 years.”
High-profile African-Americans who have
endorsed gay nuptials include President Barack Obama, the Rev.
Al Sharpton and Baltimore
Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo.