Enquirer News Update - Updated 6:40 p.m.
Ohio voters would approve
gay marriage ban, poll shows
By Jim Siegel
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS - A majority of Ohioans would support a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, although the margin is not as large as supporters have predicted.
The University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll found 56 percent of 812 likely voters would approve the exact language that could appear on the November ballot, if it withstands legal challenges from opponents. Forty percent said they would vote against it, and 4 percent are undecided.
The poll was conducted by telephone Aug. 11-17. The sampling error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Leaders of the Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group that gathered signatures to get the amendment on the ballot, have predicted Ohio would follow closely with Missouri, where 71 percent of voters passed a gay marriage ban in early August.
The amendment is splitting voters for President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, according to the poll. Of Bush voters, 74 percent said they would favor the amendment, while only 40 percent of Kerry voters support it.
