A new survey finds a majority of North Carolina voters support a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

Voters in May will decided on a far-reaching amendment that would make it unconstitutional for North Carolina to recognize gay and lesbian couples with marriage, civil unions and possibly even domestic partnerships.

The Public Policy Polling survey of 760 voters found 61 percent of respondents in favor of the ban and 34 opposed.

When broken down along political affiliations, majorities exist among Republicans (80/17) and independents (52/43). Democrats narrowly favor the ban, 49 percent to 44.

However, a narrow majority (51%) of respondents support either giving gay couples full marriage rights (22%) or civil unions (29%).

“The problem for those trying to defeat the amendment is that 37% of voters who support gay marriage or civil unions are still planning to vote for it,” said PPP's Tom Jensen. “That suggests a lot of folks aren't familiar with how wide reaching the proposed amendment would be and it gives those fighting it a chance – they just have to get their message out effectively to the majority of North Carolinians who do support legal recognition for gay couples that the proposal goes too far.”

(Related: North Carolina's Beverly Perdue to vote against gay marriage ban.)