A poll by a Vermont
state senator shows that a majority of residents support
marriage equality, despite the governor's intent to veto a
same-sex marriage bill making its way through the
legislature.
The unscientific poll,
taken by Republican senator William Doyle, is a 40-year
tradition to assess the general consensus among 12,000
Vermonters on topics such as abortion and the drinking age.
This year, 55% of residents said the state should grant
marriage equality to all residents, while 38% said it should
not, according to the Associated Press.
For the same poll
question in 1998, 61% of respondents said that the state
shouldn't grant same-sex marriages, and 32% said it
should.
Last Monday, the
Vermont senate passed a marriage-equality bill by a vote
of 26-4. The house judiciary committee will hear
testimony starting Tuesday for the bill. Gov. Jim Douglas said
last week that he would veto a marriage-equality bill if it
were to reach his desk.