News
2006-12-27
Poll: 44% of New
Hampshire residents support civil unions for gays
A new poll shows
that more New Hampshire residents are in favor of civil
unions for gays than equal marriage rights, b
A new poll shows
that more New Hampshire residents are in favor of civil
unions for gays than equal marriage rights, but neither
position receives the support of a majority. In
the poll, conducted by Research 2000 on behalf
of the ConcordMonitor newspaper, 35% of respondents were in
favor of same-sex marriage, while 44% were in favor of civil
unions, the Associated Press reports.
The state legislature will take up two proposals
on civil unions for gays beginning next week, when
Democrats will be in power for the first time in 130
years. "It's good timing to discuss this, in large part
because of the changes in the legislature, but also because
we've seen what has happened in Massachusetts," state
representative James Splaine, the sponsor of one of
the civil unions bills, told the AP, noting that
marriage equality in the neighboring state has not had the
negative impact that antigay foes had predicted.
A pollster told the Monitor that the poll
results were similar to those in Vermont before that state
created civil unions in 1999. "The numbers are almost
identical to where Vermont was," Del Ali, who polled
that state's residents then, told the paper.
If the legislature passes a civil unions bill,
the state's Democratic governor, John Lynch, has
indicated he might sign it. According to a
spokesperson, the governor "thinks we need to make sure the
rights of all of our citizens are protected." The AP
notes that Lynch supported domestic-partner benefits
as a trustee of the state university system.
The poll surveyed
600 people in New Hampshire who identified
themselves as regular voters. (The Advocate)
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