Support for legalizing gay marriage in
Maine has increased.
Gay marriage advocates have returned
the issue to the ballot after voters in 2009 narrowly repealed a
marriage law approved by lawmakers with a “people's veto,” known
as Question 1.
According to a new survey of 993 Maine
voters released Friday by the Maine
People's Resource Center, 58.2 percent of respondents indicated
support for marriage equality, while 39.9 are opposed. Two percent
refused to answer. The poll has a margin of error of 3.11 percentage
points.
A Public Polling Policy survey released
last month also found a majority (54%) of Maine voters in favor,
while 41 percent said gay marriage should remain illegal.
Support for the institution among
Democrats has increased 7 percentage points since 2009, from 71
percent to 78 percent, the PPP survey found. Support has also grown
among independents, from 52 percent to 57 percent. Republican
support, however, remains where it was three years ago.
The polls come on the heels of the
announcement that the
Diocese of Maine will not campaign against the referendum.
Instead, the Roman Catholic church will teach Catholics about how it
defines marriage.