Oregon to take marriage back to the voters

Timothy Kincaid

February 11th, 2013

Some argue that it is inherently inappropriate to vote on matters of civil rights. And I understand and appreciate the logic behind that claim. But from a pragmatic point of view, absent any declaration of the unconstitutionality of state bans on marriage equality, that’s the only way that some states will become equal.

So I am delighted that activists in the state of Oregon have decided to take marriage back to the ballot box in 2014. (Oregonian)

The state’s major gay-rights group, Basic Rights Oregon, made the decision over the weekend to launch a petition drive on Monday to put a measure on the ballot that would allow legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Given the group’s resources and the issue’s high visibility, there is little doubt the group can qualify the measure for the November general election.

And the time may be right, with Oregon voters now supporting marriage. A PPP poll in December found the following:

Q20 Do you think Oregon voters should be allowed
to vote on whether they think same-sex
marriage should be legal, or not?
Voters should be allowed to…………………. 77%
They should not ……………………………………. 14%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Q21 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
allowed in Oregon, or not?
Should be allowed …………………………………. 54%
Should not………………………………………………. 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 5%

Gene in L.A.

February 11th, 2013

Is that a survey of all adults, or of likely voters? The page doesn’t say, and the difference is rather important.

Timothy Kincaid

February 11th, 2013

Gene,

PPP surveyed 614 Oregon voters from December 3rd to 5th. The margin of error for the
survey is +/-4.0%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political
organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.

Ryan

February 12th, 2013

2014 makes me a bit nervous, as non-election years tend to have more conservative voters than liberal ones.

Timothy Kincaid

February 12th, 2013

In 2014, Oregon will have both a Gubernatorial and a US Senate election. So while it’s not a Presidential election year, it’s not a minor election.

Mark F.

February 12th, 2013

Add the should nots and unsures in the poll, and I think you can predict that same sex marriage will win in Oregon by about 55-45%. And Nate Silver says we should win. I don’t think we need to worry too much.

ebohlman

February 15th, 2013

Gene: pollsters don’t use a “likely voter” screen this far before an election since there’s no way it could be reliable. They generally only start using them after the Labor Day before the election.

Nathaniel

February 16th, 2013

Ummm… if the same people answered both questions, that means a large portion of “not allowed” individuals also said that marriage should be voted on. Seeing as they have already given us the ultimate vote against (ie. constitutional amendment), what are they hoping to accomplish?

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