Half of N.C. Would
Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Ban

A little more than half of North Carolinians polled said they would oppose a possible constitutional ban on marriages for same-sex couples. In a poll conducted by Elon University, 50.4% of respondents said they would oppose or strongly oppose such a ban. Forty-three percent expressed support for a ban, and the rest said they were unsure.

"I didn't think we'd get over 50%," Elon poll director Hunter Bacot told the Sun News . "In North Carolina, we are a Southern state and are generally a bit more conservative, particularly on these types of issues."

State lawmakers have introduced a bill proposing a referendum vote on the issue. Voters in every Southern state have approved constitutional same-sex marriage bans in recent years, according to the newspaper, except in North Carolina, where Democratic lawmakers have thus far kept such a referendum off the ballot, noting that state law already limits marriage to heterosexual couples.

Pollsters also asked respondents whether they would support other forms of partnership recognition. Forty-four percent said they do not approve of any form of recognition for gay and lesbian couples, 21% said they support full marriage equality, and 28% said they would support civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, but not marriage.