voters in california

A new poll released Wednesday shows that for the first time in three decades registered California voters approve of allowing same-sex couples to marry -- by a margin of 51% to 42% -- a flip from the last poll taken in 2006, when voters disapproved of gay marriage 50% to 44%. The nonpartisan California Field Poll of 1,052 registered voters, conducted May 17-26, with a 3.2% margin of error, also found voters were leery of the proposed ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman, with 54% opposing the measure and 40% favoring it.

Howard F. Ahmanson Jr. has put $900,000 of his own money into passing California's gay marriage ban, but it's not the first time the flush ascetic has injected his religious views into politics. From stemming affirmative action to stoking unrest within the Episcopal Church, Ahmanson has been one of the most influential political donors in the country.

Even if California voters pass the antigay marriage amendment in November, marriage equality could still prevail.

A new California poll on voter attitudes has turned up lucky numbers for gays and a slap for conservative opponents. Conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, this statewide survey shows that 54% of likely voters are opposed to Proposition 8, which would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to wed.

The California supreme court ruling legalizing gay marriage in the state will not be the last word. California voters will almost certainly hold a referendum on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in November, and for the first time anywhere in the United States, the vote will have a direct and immediate effect on gay couples waiting to tie the knot. The amendment needs a simple majority to pass, and if the voters reject gay marriage, their decision will supersede the high court's Thursday ruling that made California the second state to legalize gay marriage, behind Massachusetts. There are signs the contest's outcome will be close.

Among many interesting developments last night, mainstream news organizations acknowledged that gay, lesbian, and bisexual voters exist and asked them to identify as such in exit polls. A solid majority of those polled in California and New York preferred that Sen. Hillary Clinton be their next president. The exit polling found that among the 4% of California voters who identified as GLB, 63% voted for Clinton, 29% for Obama, and 1% for Edwards. In New York, 7% of voters self-identified as GLB: 59% voted for Clinton, 36% for Obama, and 3% for Edwards.

One of two groups competing to put a same-sex marriage ban before California voters in 2006 has bowed out of the fight for now, saying the timing and political climate are not right to get such a measure passed.