July 25, 2006

Abstract: - Many adults in the Badger State are in favour of a proposal to outlaw homosexual marriage, according to a poll by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. 52.5 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of an amendment that would only recognize "marriage between one man and one woman" throughout the state.

- Many adults in the Badger State are in favour of a proposal to outlaw homosexual marriage, according to a poll by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. 52.5 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of an amendment that would only recognize "marriage between one man and one woman" throughout the state.

In 2004, marriage certificates were issued to same-sex couples by local governments in the states of California, Oregon, New Mexico and New York. In May 2004, the state of Massachusetts allowed gay and lesbian partners to apply for marriage licenses, the first state-sanctioned homosexual weddings in the United States.

Civil unions—currently available in the states of Vermont and Connecticut—give same-sex partners the same legal rights of married couples such as inheritance, insurance and hospital visiting privileges. A California law grants domestic partners the same legal rights of married couples, with the exception of filing joint income tax returns.

Last month, four former Wisconsin governors—Democrats Patrick Lucey, Martin Schreiber and Tony Earl, and Republican Lee Sherman Dreyfus—called on the state's residents to vote "No" on Nov. 7. In a joint statement, the governors called the proposed amendment "unnecessarily harsh and far-reaching."

On Jul. 18, a U.S. House of Representatives effort to constitutionally prohibit any form of marriage other than one "between a man and a woman" fell 46 votes short of the 289 required to pass. During the debate, Democratic Wisconsin congresswoman Tammy Baldwin called the proposed amendment "hateful, unnecessary (and) unworthy of our great constitution."

Over the past two years, 19 American states have enacted amendments to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Seven more will hold votes on the matter this year.

Polling Data

The ballot this November will contain a referendum proposing a state constitutional amendment on the issue of gay marriage and civil unions. The referendum proposes that: "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state." Do you favour or oppose this referendum?

Favour	52.5%
Oppose	43.8%
Don't know	3.0%
Refused	0.8%

Source: University of Wisconsin Survey Center
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 508 Wisconsin adults, conducted from Jun. 23 to Jul. 2, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.