A majority of Washington voters support
gay marriage, a new poll has found.
According to the
survey by the University of Washington Center for Survey
Research, 55 percent of respondents said they would vote against a
ballot initiative that attempted to repeal a gay marriage law.
Pollsters asked: “Next year the
legislature could pass a law allowing gay and lesbian couples to get
married. If that happens, there could be a referendum in which
voters would be asked to approve or reject the law. Would you vote
YES – that is, to keep a law in place allowing gay and lesbian
couples to marry OR would you vote NO, against the law – to make it
so that gay and lesbian couples could not marry?”
Forty-seven percent of the 938
registered voters surveyed from October 10-30 said they would
strongly favor keeping the law, while another 8 percent said they
would not strongly favor it. Thirty-eight percent (31% strongly, 7%
not strongly) said they would vote against keeping the law.
However, only 43 percent of voters say
gay marriage should be legalized, 22 percent favor giving gay couples
all the legal protections of marriage without the name and 15 percent
favor some protections.
Only 17 percent of respondents said the
government should not recognize the unions of gay and lesbian
couples.