Poll: 61 Percent of Coloradans Support Marriage Equality

A new Quinnipiac survey released this week shows that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Coloradans support both marriage equality and the legalization of marijuana. What might be surprising, however, is that in the state that has already legalized recreational pot sales, more voters support the former versus the latter.

According to the poll, 61 percent of Colorado voters support marriage equality, as opposed to just 33 percent who don't. Predictably, the numbers break down across party lines: 85 percent of Democratic voters are for marriage equality, while 58 percent of Republicans oppose it.

When asked about the legalization of marijuana, however, only 54 percent of voters were in favor-- still a majority, but seven percentage points below marriage equality support. Similary, 43 percent of voters oppose legalization, versus just one third of voters who oppose marriage equality.

Right now, Colorado only permits civil unions, thanks to a 2006 constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage. Two cases currently active in state court -- McDaniel-Miccio v. Hickenlooper and Brinkman v. Long-- are seeking to have the ban overturned. Recreational marijuana, meanwhile, was legalized at the ballot box in 2012, and sales began January 1 of this year.

Read more at Politico.