Poll: Proposed Fla. Gay-Marriage Ban Ahead

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 9 (UPI)

Most Florida voters support a proposed amendment banning gay marriage, but not enough to change the state’s constitution, a poll indicates.

In addition, a bipartisan political group says the proposed amendment could hurt heterosexual domestic partnerships too.

Fifty-five percent of registered voters support the proposed Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman only, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research said.

The Saturday-through-Monday telephone poll of 625 likely voters had a 4-percentage-point margin of error.

The amendment needs 60 percent of the vote for passage, Mason-Dixon said.

The bipartisan Florida Red & Blue group argues the amendment is “vague” and a threat to domestic-partner benefits, even for heterosexual seniors.

The group argues the measure could lead to the potential loss of existing legal protection and benefits, including alimony, estate planning and domestic partnership registries, The Miami Herald reports.

The group’s effort — which has the support of Florida League of Women Voters, Florida Alliance of Retired Americans, Florida Education Association and Florida Professional Firefighters — has also received an endorsement from more than 150 lawyers.

The lawyers — including former American Bar Association and Florida State University President Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte — released a letter Wednesday encouraging voters to vote against the proposal Nov. 4.

Amendment supporters say Florida Red & Blue is using scare tactics.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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