Posted on 05/16/2013 12:21:14 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A recently released poll from The Washington Post indicates that a Bible Belt state may be moving toward majority support for same-sex marriage.
According to the results, which were published on the newspaper's website Tuesday, 56 percent of Virginians polled stated that they believe gay couples should be allowed to marry; 33 percent said no and 10 percent held no opinion.
This was an increase from two years earlier, when 46 percent of Virginians said yes to legalized same-sex marriage, 43 percent stated opposition, and 11 percent held no opinion.
Based on 1,000 telephone interviews conducted from April 29 to May 2, the poll also found that 86 percent of Virginians support mandatory background checks for gun purchases and 54 percent supported a hypothetical program that would grant illegal immigrants legal status if they "pay a fine and meet other requirements."
In 2006, the Commonwealth of Virginia voted on and approved a constitutional amendment stating that marriage should be between one man and one woman. The amendment passed with 57 percent of the vote.
Since then, Democratic representatives in the General Assembly have annually introduced bills to repeal the amendment, but they have always failed in committee.
News of The Washington Post's poll comes as the Commonwealth is in campaign season. On Nov. 5, Virginians will hold elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and representatives in the House of Delegates.
The two likely candidates for governor, Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Democratic politician Terry McAuliffe, hold opposing views on the marriage definition debate. Neither candidate has put a strong emphasis on the issue, as both have focused more on economic matters on their respective campaign websites.
While the recent Washington Post poll shows strong support for same-sex marriage legalization in Virginia, there is a possibility that the results are skewed to favor the pro-gay marriage cause.
In March, The Washington Post itself ran an article about how many polls on same-sex marriage have been found to be inaccurate when gauging public opinion on the issue.
Aaron Blake and Scott Clement of The Washington Post have written that polls "on gay marriage ballot initiatives generally under-estimate the opposition to gay marriage by about seven percentage points, according to a 2010 study by New York University political science professor Patrick J. Egan."
"The best example of the discrepancy between the polls and the actual vote may be the same gay marriage ban that comes before the Supreme Court this week – California's Proposition 8," continued Blake and Clement.
"While polling regularly showed more opposition to the ban (i.e. support for gay marriage) than support for it, the measure passed on Election Day 2008 by four points, 52 percent to 48 percent."
Americans no longer believe marriage is between one man and one woman. Within 25 years every state will be required to accept homo marriage.
I am despondent about this.
As they themselves admit, people sometimes say one thing to pollsters and another in the ballot box. On the other hand, Maryland voters voted for gay marriage in a 2012 referendum. On the third hand, Maryland is not Virginia.
Virginia?!
The “poll” needs to include from Texas all the way to Florida... I don’t trust ANY NE state poll...
Like to see those numbers if you removed northern Virginia from that equation
WHY WASHINGTON POST POLLS ARE INACCURATE
by golux
ACT 1
INT - Kitchen
“Rrrring!” (phone voice)
Hello, I’m Amy from the Washington Post and we’re conducting a poll of people in your area to... “click.”
Cut to EXT - Garden
“Rrrring!” (phone voice)
HI THERE! I’m Rod from the Washington Post and we’re conducting a poll of people... “click.”
INT - Workshop
“Rrrring!” (phone voice)
Hi, I’m Shaniqua from the Washington Post and we’re conducting a poll of people in your area to... “click.”
INT - Family Room
“Rrrring!” (phone voice)
Hello, Ma’am, I’m calling from the Washington Post and... “click.”
INT - TV room
“Rrrring!” (phone voice)
I’m calling from Washington.. “CLICK!”
FADE OUT
I say, “bull shit” on the accuracy and veracity on the WaPo poll.
Acceptance of the word “marriage”, depends on what you beleive marriage to be.
If you beleive that marriage is an earthly representation of Christ and His church, then homosexuals can not be married.
If you beleive that marriage is just a contract like any other contract, then homosexuals or any two people or groups of people can be married.
I support happy marriages, too!
Well, I am also but it isn't unexpected. This and other rejections of God's law should be expected in the end times or the lead-up to the end times. We will soon be in a minority of 20% or less when it comes to moral and cultural issues.
Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.
Take courage in the Lord, try to help those whose salvation is in jeopardy, but rejoice that you are in Christ.
Deacon Francis
Virginia? The “Bible Belt”? Maybe 50 years ago but today it’s as much the “Bible Belt” as is Harvard Square.
NEVER!
That's true but the trend in even non-metro areas is pretty clear. Still hanging on to the traditional family in most rural areas for now.
Virginia is hardly a Bible belt state.
Liberal northern Virginia is gaining in population.
Conservative southwest Virginia is losing population.
Pray that Cuccinelli wins.
To repeat myself - there are two Virginia’s - NOVA - North Virginia, 90% government sucking liberals soaking in the riches of DC stolen from the rest of us -
And the rest of Virginia - Old Dominion. NOVA Marxists are simply now 50% of our commonwealth. They do not represent the rest of us, and are only about 10% of the state geographically. Warner & Kaine are senators only because of NOVA.
I’d be one for dividing the state immediately - let the Marxists have NOVA - just let us have the rest of our state back and quit messing in our business. They can have all counties adjoining DC and Fairfax. We’ll take the rest.
If we don’t do this, they will numerically outnumber us soon, and we’ll go the way of Maryland - only 90% of the state geographically will be in opposition.
RE: Liberal northern Virginia is gaining in population.
Conservative southwest Virginia is losing population.
OK, Two questions:
1) Where are the liberals coming from?
2) Where are the conservatives going to?
“A recently released poll from The Washington Post....”
Credibility problem with this as it IS the WaPo.
Propaganda IMO.
BS poll, as usual.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.