Majority of Minnesotans Oppose Marriage Ban

A new poll indicates that 57% of Minnesotans oppose an attempt to amend the state constitution to ban marriage equality, a significant change from seven years ago when a poll found that 58% of them supported such a measure.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll.

"Opposition to the ban generally cuts across all ages, though support rises gradually with age," reports the Star Tribune. "Sixty percent of Minnesotans aged 18 to 34 oppose the idea. A slim majority, 51 percent, of Minnesotans older than 65 oppose the constitutional ban.

The Minnesota senate approved a constitutional amendment this week to ban marriage equality, and if the house follows as expected, voters would be asked whether to amend the constitution on the 2012 ballot. The amendment would need a simple majority to pass. Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat who supports marriage equality, has no power to stop the amendment from the Republican-controlled legislature.

In comparison to the new poll, a 2004 Minnesota Poll found that 58% of people in the state supported a constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to a man and a woman, reports the Star Tribune.

According to the newspaper, "Views in the latest poll did, however, break along party lines. Seventy-one percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independent voters said they oppose the proposed amendment. Sixty-five percent of self-identified Republicans back the amendment, with only 30 percent opposing it. All of the Senate Republicans, plus one DFLer, approved the measure this week."