July 12, 2006

Abstract: - Adults in the Badger State are almost equally divided in their assessment of marriage, according to a poll by WisPolitics.com. 48.5 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of an amendment to define marriage as "between one man and one woman" throughout Wisconsin, while 47.8 per cent would vote against.

- Adults in the Badger State are almost equally divided in their assessment of marriage, according to a poll by WisPolitics.com. 48.5 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of an amendment to define marriage as "between one man and one woman" throughout Wisconsin, while 47.8 per cent would vote against.

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."

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. Two proposals to enact a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in the entire country failed in July 2004 and June 2006.

Polling Data

If approved, a proposal would be placed in the state constitution. The proposed language reads: "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as 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." Would you vote for or against the proposal?

For	48.5%
Against	47.8%
Don't know / Refused	3.7%

Source: WisPolitics.com
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 Wisconsin adults, conducted on Jun. 18 and Jun, 19, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.