NVR Logo
Poll: California voters oppose same-sex marriage ban
Friday, July 18, 2008
Save and Share Share
1 p.m.SAN FRANCISCO — More California voters say they would oppose a November ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in the state’s constitution than would support it, according to a survey released Friday.

The Field Poll found that 51 percent of likely voters say they would vote against Proposition 8, while 42 percent say they would vote for it.


The poll shows a turnaround from 2000, when 61 percent of voters cast ballots in favor Proposition 22, which strengthened the state’s 1978 one-man, one-woman marriage law with the words “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
That vote came a year after the state Legislature enacted the first of a series of laws awarding spousal rights to domestic partners.

This year’s ballot initiative comes on the heels of a landmark California Supreme Court decision in May that granted marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples have flooded county clerk’s offices throughout the state to receive marriage licenses since the ruling took effect in June.

The poll found that Democrats and Republican voters were starkly divided on the issue. Sixty-three percent of Democrats said they would vote against the measure, while 68 percent of Republicans said they would vote for it. Nonpartisans were against the initiative 66 percent to 27 percent.

The poll found the greatest opposition to the ballot measure among voters living in California’s coastal counties and large cities, as well as among voters younger than 30. In the San Francisco Bay area, 67 percent of voters oppose Proposition 8, while only 26 percent approve.

The Field Poll surveyed 672 likely California voters during the week of July 8-14. It had a sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

The results also matched up to a Field Poll in May that asked Californians if they supported the Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage. That poll, which had a sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, showed that 51 percent said they supported it, and 42 percent opposed it.
24 comment(s)

steph wrote on Jul 18, 2008 2:12 PM:

" Good news!

But I think this should not be a popular-vote issue, anyway.

I think constitutional rights should not ever be threatened by popular vote. This is a Supreme Court issue, and they ruled in favor of upholding the constitutional rights of a minority-status group, as they should have.

Well, then, hopefully a defeat of this measure will be a formality, and the self-righteous supporters can get on with the business of strengthening their own marriages from within, instead of throwing stones. Or maybe they can use their talents to do something useful and charitable--maybe supporting children or our troops, for example.

Just a thought... "

toratora wrote on Jul 18, 2008 2:30 PM:

" Polls = BLAH,BLAH,BLAH, They all can be twisted and bent to get the answer you are looking for. Here is my personal poll " A BIG FAT NO TO SAME SEX MARRIAGE!!!!" "

JustMy$.02 wrote on Jul 18, 2008 2:36 PM:

" Gee Steph talk about self-rightous,

What makes you think our(my) marriage isnt strong?
What makes you think I dont support childeren, mine or others?
What makes you think I dont support our troops?
What makes you think I dont do charitable activities?

What makes you so (self-) right (ous)?? "

napablogger wrote on Jul 18, 2008 3:24 PM:

" Steph, although I agree with your position, I don't think there is anything about marriage in the Constitution? "

doscentavos wrote on Jul 18, 2008 3:51 PM:

" Please keep Gay marriage, sexual preference, religion and politics OUT of the courts.
They are all PERSONAL issues not COURT issues.
Gays deserve to be as "happy" as the 50% of 'happily married people who divorce". "

freeport56 wrote on Jul 18, 2008 3:56 PM:

" NB-

You are absolutely correct. The measure just defines marriage. "

hawkins707 wrote on Jul 18, 2008 4:20 PM:

" Remember everyone,

We all need to vote YES on Prop. 8 in a couple of months.


Spread the word to all your friends and family or California will fall even deeper into the hole of absurdity.


***** TELL EVERYONE ***** "

John Richards wrote on Jul 18, 2008 4:36 PM:

" Contrary to what this article says, the poll doesn't reveal a turnaround from 2000. You can't compare the results of a telephone survey to actual votes, especially so on this issue. Those who oppose gay marriage have been vilified as bigots and homophobes. So, when asked one's opinion, the tendency is to go with what is deemed 'politically correct'. That aspect won't exist in the privacy of the voting booth. "

steph wrote on Jul 18, 2008 4:44 PM:

" JM2c, I'm not out trying to take away the rights of homosexuals to marry, under the guise that somehow my marriage is more sacred than other people's marriages, simply because it's heterosexual.

So I don't pretend to be self-righteous on this issue.

Those organizing this initiative are wasting time and resources that could be better spent helping others.

Napablogger: the Supreme Court decision did an excellent job of explaining the unconstitutionality of discriminating against adults and their children, based on sexual orientation. I won't try to re-state their published opinion. I do agree with it. "

steph wrote on Jul 18, 2008 4:46 PM:

" I'm telling everyone to vote "NO" on the absurd, nosy proposition. Most people I associate with will do so with or without my urging. "

steph wrote on Jul 18, 2008 4:47 PM:

" BTW, JM2c, ALL marriages require work, whether they're strong or not. "

Raven wrote on Jul 18, 2008 4:49 PM:

" freeport, if the measure passes, then 'marrugae' would be defined in our state constitution.

Hawkins, why should we vote yes, tell how allowing committed relationships to marryinjures anyone in this state. "

MissNapaValley wrote on Jul 18, 2008 5:13 PM:

" I, along with my family and friends, proudly support Measure 8. We will vote YES on this measure in November. The institution of marriage should be protected, and it should remain exclusively between a man and a woman. Further, the courts should have deference for the voice of the people, and judges should not engage in judicial activism. The California Supreme Court should have stayed its decision to allow homosexuals to marry until the voters of California could, once again, have their say in November. "

Raven wrote on Jul 18, 2008 6:40 PM:

" my apologies for the sloppy typing earlier....'marriage' will be defined in our state constitution by Prop 8 ....and just who does marriage need protecting from? seems like the ones hurting it the most are the people who have been 'marrying'....they are the ones suffering, or causing the reported 50 percent divorce rates we have in this country. "

psychochik wrote on Jul 18, 2008 7:06 PM:

" Here we go again. Unleash the hate. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Jul 18, 2008 10:35 PM:

" The "institution of marriage" is not -- I repeat, NOT -- protected in any way by preventing homosexuals the right to a legally sanctioned union. I don't know who came up with that archaic and illogical idea.

Marriage is better protected by increasing commitment, emotional intimacy, compassion and understanding. All relationships are ultimately harmed when we spend our emotional energy on condemning others and pandering to our natural tendency for intolerance. As others here have noted, "the institution of" marriage has already been harmed by those who have entered into heterosexual marriages. Those who want to keep homosexuals from having the same opportunities they themselves have had will not find their marriages improved by those particular efforts. Mean-spirited starts at home, and returns home after a day's work.
I am happy to know that all of my friends save perhaps one (the intransigent and not-too-tolerant conservative friend) will vote NO on Prop. 8. Because we all know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that allowing homosexuals to engage in honorable commitment is good for homosexuals, and good for us all. "

NapaSnapper wrote on Jul 18, 2008 11:31 PM:

" I think that this should be decided on a state by state basis. And if we have have it here in Califronia,it will interresting to see if it creates any other side issues. I know some gays and they've changed my mind about them. They cannot help being the way that they are,and if they feel better getting married...fine with me. "

Carol Whichard wrote on Jul 31, 2008 3:58 PM:

" Good on 'ya, NapaSnapper! It's refreshing to meet an open mind. Gay folks aren't interested in hurting straight marriages. Heck no! Gay folks have plenty to do in managing their everyday lives, much as the straight folks do. Work, family, community service, church, athletics, politics...all that we weave into our daily lives and all of those things we consider prescious, we do with as much love and commitment as the straight folks do. It about equality, folks! "

dondw wrote on Aug 14, 2008 11:22 AM:

" In a country where approximately 70% of our citizens claim to be Christians, and even more claim to believe in "God", I find it amazing that we totally ignore God's law. It is plain to any clear-thinking individual that God considers homosexuality "a perversion of the natural use of the body". The courts need to stay out of the will of the people, and the people should stop being hypocrits, claiming belief in God yet ignoring His laws. Civil unions for homosexuals is fine; marriage is not.
Our so-called "liberal" state needs to wake up and return to the traditional values that made this country the greatest country in the history of the world, or face the consequences of a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.
We need to support the ban on gay and lesbian marriage while praying for those misguided souls. "

John Richards wrote on Aug 16, 2008 4:55 PM:

" I agree with you, dondw. If a person is going to call themselves a Christian, they need to honor and obey what the New Testament teaches about homosexuality. I believe the sacred texts of many other religions also contain similar statements about homosexuality: Muslims, Mormons, Jews, etc. "

Miann wrote on Aug 23, 2008 2:54 PM:

" It is a pity that the last vestige of obvious discrimination is so hotly debated. Leave your religious bigotry in your narrow mind and church. Let every one have the same freedoms "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 26, 2008 7:04 PM:

" Some of you need to review basic biology.... "

aleph wrote on Sep 17, 2008 11:18 AM:

" insecurities lead to phobias

in this case homophobia. "

christian love wrote on Oct 29, 2008 10:33 AM:

" DonDw and John Richards, Obviously you have skimmed the parts of the Bible that discuss loving your neighbor as your self, leaving judgment to our Holy Father in Heaven and acting as an ambassador of his love in ALL your dealings. As a Christian, I find myself saddened by the extreme hatred and cruelty that has been associated with my faith. I have always been taught and believed that My Lord is best served when I move in His world with the love and grace He has shown me. While I cannot say I wish anyone to forced into gay marriage if they are opposed to it, I do not think that God, Jesus or the Christian religion should be used as a weapon. My Lord My God loves every creation He made. He has charged is faithful followers to do the same. Christians: Join me in spreading the Love of God, not the Hate of crusades.
Jesus is Love. "

Comment guidelines
All comments will be screened and may take several hours to be posted.
• Keep comments clear, concise and focused on the topic in the story.
• Comments exceeding 300 words will not be posted.
• Refrain from personal attacks, degrading comments or remarks that do not add to a constructive dialogue.
• Comments implying suspects in crime-related stories are guilty before they have been proven so in a court of law will be deleted.
• Do not post e-mail addresses or links except for pages on Napavalleyregister.com or government Web sites.
• Comments will not be edited - they will be approved or declined.
• Comments may be used in the print edition of the newspaper.
• If you feel a posted comment has violated our guidelines, please contact dross@napanews.com or bkennedy@napanews.com
For further information on the comment guidelines, click here.
Search:
Advanced searchWeb Search Powered By Yahoo! Search
Copyright © 2009 Napa Valley Publishing, a member of Lee Enterprises, Inc.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy