Voters in Maryland are divided on a
recently approved law legalizing gay marriage in the state.
Governor Martin O'Malley earlier this
month signed a gay marriage bill approved by lawmakers into law,
making Maryland the eighth state to legalize gay marriage.
Opponent have vowed to put the law up
for a vote in November. Nearly 56,000 valid signatures, one-third of
which would need to be submitted by May 31, with the remainder by
June 30, are needed to put the measure on the ballot. The campaign
is being organized by Maryland Marriage Alliance, which is supported
by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).
According to a
new poll of 601 registered voters conducted by OpinionWorks, a
narrow majority (43%) of respondents said they would vote to make gay
marriage illegal, while 40% said they support the law. Eleven
percent refused to answer. The poll has a margin of error of plus or
minus 4 percentage points.
An earlier poll commissioned by gay
rights advocate Marylanders for Marriage Equality and conducted by
Public Policy Polling found a narrow majority (52%) in favor and 44
percent against the law.