A poll released
on Thursday shows that 49% of likely California voters
oppose Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that would
constitutionally ban same-sex marriage. The Field
Poll also showed that 44% of likely voters were in
favor of the measure, while 7% remained undecided. The
results indicate a narrowing of opinion since the last Field
Poll in mid September, when 55% of respondents opposed
Prop. 8 and 38% supported it.
"It's certainly
closer than it was before the advertising campaign
hit," Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo told The Sacramento Bee. "A lot of that has to do with
the campaigning on the yes [on 8] side."
The No on 8
campaign, however, saw reason for optimism. In a statement,
No on 8's senior campaign adviser Steve Smith said the poll
shows that the opposition's "deceptive campaign has
failed to move their numbers much at all," noting that
in this survey and others, support for Prop. 8 has
remained below 50%.
According to the
poll, 22% of respondents have already voted. Among that
group, the yes side was ahead by six points. (The
Advocate)