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The vote on the amendment is May 8, 2012, so there is not a lot of time to educate voters around the state about just how extreme this ballot initiative is. Public Policy Polling’s latest data shows just how confused many North Carolinians are about the scope of the effect if this is passed. Most North Carolinians are fair-minded and want legal recognition for same-sex relationships…but some of these voters are still in favor of the amendment.
The story with the marriage amendment in North Carolina continues to be the same month after month: voters overwhelmingly support it but a majority of them also support civil unions, suggesting they might not be fully aware of how far the proposal goes. 58% say they’ll vote for the amendment to 32% who are opposed. It has overwhelming support from Republicans (77/16), majority support from independents (52/35), and even plurality support from Democrats (47/43).
At the same time 56% of voters in the state support either gay marriage (27%) or civil unions (29%) with only 40% thinking there should be absolutely no legal recognition for same sex couples. About 20% of North Carolinians support legal recognition for gays and plan to vote for the marriage amendment. Getting those folks to change their minds will be the key for those hoping to defeat it.
That means a huge portion of NC voters must be educated about the amendment, and why they need to get out and vote on May 8.
The basic facts that voters need to know about the amendment — first, the language, which seems quite benign:
Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.
However, it will definitely:
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Ban any possibility of civil unions or domestic partnerships
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It will revoke any municipal recognition of same-sex couples already in place
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Ban heterosexual domestic partnerships
Because of the broad language — and this is critical – it will likely jeopardize benefits offered to domestic partners and same-sex spousal equivalent couples by private companies and institutions. NC Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland), an amendment opponent, outlined other effects of that discriminatory initiative in a guest post on the Blend.
It appears at a minimum:
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To change the rules of legal recognition of joint parenting rights; Legal recognition of a child’s relationship to her parents
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Eligibility for public housing and housing subsidies
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Potentially, access to employer based health and other benefits by partners as well as non-biological not jointly adopted children
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Access to Medicaid and Medicare benefits
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Ability to enroll non bioligical children in public schools or to authorize emergency medical care for them
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Ability to make health care decisions for incapacitated partners
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Ability to obtain life insurance
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Affect on many deeds, trusts and wills
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And, enormously affects the reach of domestic violence laws of this
state–precisely the reason the domestic violence coalition opposed this bill; -
The amendment probably costs those who receive SSDI and Medicaid benefits from a disability and who now live in domestic partnerships some 25% of their benefits under the federal marriage penalty — thus dramatically affecting many seniors and other citizens who have no idea the effect this law might have on their lives.
This message needs to get out there.
Related:
* NC Rep. Rick Glazier: Why the Anti-Marriage Amendment Must be Defeated
* NC: state legislator Marcus Brandon debates ill-informed, anti-gay pastor about amendment
* NC NAACP chair Rev. Dr. William Barber electrifies Equality NC conference with open letter opposing marriage amendment
* The unholy trio of anti-LGBT groups pushing NC marriage amendment
* NC: New Elon poll – all ages, races oppose marriage discrimination amendment
12 Comments
Pam,
For this particular issue, it’s important to look at PPP’s methodology. While the firm has a reputation for decent accuracy, their polling is using home telephone numbers. The results do not reflect opinions of the many people who only use cell phones.
In 2008, some polls adjusted for the cell phone issue. For this issue, in 2012, it seems even more imperative to bake in the hidden cell phone users.
More background from Pew: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1061/cell-phones-election-polling
It is surprising that the age group with the highest percentage of respondents who plan to vote for the amendment are those 18-29 (65%)–even higher than those over 65– and these are supposedly our most ardent supporters. What the heck is up the that?
I suggest that folks on our side who talk and write to the media about the proposal begin by phrasing it “ban civil unions” and then list marriage after that. The key is that there are many low-information voters who have no clue about that part of it, and you have to reach them at the beginning of the statement instead of burying it. Otherwise they will quit listening, and you’ll lose them.
It could be that the effect of landline users being more conservative is much higher for young people than for old people. In other words, the older people are more likely to have landlines, and so a much wider sample can be gained from just the landline-using seniors. 18-29 yr old landline users might be more exponentially conservative and so the poll might be getting mostly anti-gay young people.
I just couldn’t see 18-29 year old people being that conservative when it comes to gays…unless the South really just has that effect.
Would it be a stretch to stay that many progressives/liberals aren’t really as progressive/liberal as they claim and may have token LGBT friends so when confronted by this facotr, they can claim “My (best) friend is (insert whatever LGBT group)! I’m not a bigot, I just don’t agree with the life style! Having a difference of opinion isn’t homophobia/transphobia, homophobia/transphobia means fear of gay or trans folks and I don’t fear them”.
Maybe it’s testimony that our progressive/liberal “friends” or “allies” aren’t really friends or allies and not as “progressive” and “liberal” as they claim to be. I think of it as something a long the lines of this:
“I’m not a homophobe/transphobe! My (best) friend is a (insert whatever LGBT group member here)! I just don’t agree/approve of their life style. Having a difference of opinion doesn’t make one a homophobic/transphobic. Besides, being homophobic/transphobic means you fear gay and trans folks, and I don’t fear them!”
“The results do not reflect opinions of the many people who only use cell phones.”
I hear what you’re saying about cell phones which is the only phone for a lot of younger people, but at the same time this will be a low turn out primary election during a GOP presidential primary. Cell phone users will probably be under-represented at the actual polling places too.
I think the message from the PPP is clear though. Among those who are likely to vote for the amendment, they might change their minds if they realize how far reaching this amendment is. I think that means we need to spread the word however we can, through letters to the editor, through conversations with people we know, and through working in organized ways by volunteering or helping with Protect Families NC’s efforts, Equality NC’s efforts, All of Us NC’s efforts, local college LGBT student group efforts, local PFLAG efforts, and any other way we can.
Letters to the editor I think are particularly important for getting the word out to people we might not otherwise reach. I’d be there is a good overlap between people who still read newspapers and who still use land-lines.
True. People hear “gay marriage” and their first thought isn’t of a judge but of a church wedding. The words “civil union” emphasize that this isn’t about LGBT folks trying to overturn religion, just trying to get the same treatment of any straight couple who goes to a courthouse or hires a judge to be wed.
I think it is very important to make the people understand that voting against this amendment will NOT make same-sex marriage legal. You know for sure that NOM will come here and spend B I G advertising dollars to lie to the voters and lead them to believe voting against the amendment is a vote for ho-mo-seks-u-al marriage.
Pam, you live in North Carolina and are a prominent LGBT blogger with national influence. We are YOU doing about this other than posting on Firedog?
Presumably you know the local organizations and politicos and could coordinate effective outreach.
I’m not sure the messaging from our side is tapping into that yet very much. Most of what I’ve seen is that “if this passes, it will damage the marriages of LGBT couples and their kids” which is an important and true message, and not the one the polling seems to say will work at all. The polling seems to say making sure people know this ends straight couples domestic partnerships, and gay peoples domestic partnerships, and prevent the possibility of civil unions, and end domestic violence protections for some gay or straight, and end other existing rights.
I would like to see ads that feature gay & straight couples from North Carolina that will lose existing rights if this passes.
I wish our amendment in Wisconsin had been this clear and effective.