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National Organization for Marriage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dr. Gary C. LawrenceFebruary 17, 2011 gary@lawrenceresearch.comMaryland Poll 714 558 3725N = 600 Registered VotersJanuary 27 – February 7, 2011

NEW POLL: MAJORITY OF MARYLAND VOTERS BELIEVE MARRIAGE ISONLY ONE MAN-ONE WOMAN

By a 54-37 margin, Maryland voters believe that marriage should only bebetween a man and a woman, according to a new poll released today byLawrence Research.

The poll, commissioned by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), alsofound that 78% of the state’s voters believe the voters of Maryland, rather thanthe legislature (14%), should have the final word on the issue of whether or not tolegalize same-sex marriage.

The state legislature is currently considering legislation to change the legal

definition of marriage in Maryland from “a man and a woman” to “any two adults.”Supporters of traditional marriage, including NOM, the Maryland CatholicConference, and the Association of Maryland Families, have vowed to put thisproposal before the voters via Maryland’s referendum process if passed by theGeneral Assembly. The findings of the poll indicate strong voter support for areferendum on this issue.

“The results of this poll strongly affirm that we are on the right side of Marylandvoters,” said Brian Brown, President of NOM. “Not only do voters supportmarriage by a 17-point margin, but they reject the Legislature’s efforts to imposethis without public input. We’ll continue to fight to block the current legislation

push in the General Assembly, but this poll shows beyond any doubt that despitewhat the legislature does, the people will have the final say, and they will supportmarriage.”

Added Derek McCoy, President of the Maryland Family Alliance, “Voters in 31states have considered the marriage issue, and in every case they have rejectedgay marriage and reaffirmed their support of marriage as the union of one manand one woman. If the General Assembly passes this legislation, we are

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confident that Maryland will become the 32nd state to preserve traditionalmarriage.”

Another poll conducted in January claimed that Maryland voters favor same-sexmarriage by a 51-44 margin, but used the phrase “giving them the same legal

rights as heterosexual married couples in areas such as tax exemptions,inheritance and pension coverage.” According to Dr. Gary Lawrence of Lawrence Research, the addition of this pro-legalization argument – couching thelegalization of same-sex marriage as only about granting rights and benefits togay couples – without a counter-balancing statement from the opposing sideinjects a bias into those results.

Methodology

Lawrence Research based in Orange County, California conducted this poll

using random digit dialing to reach and complete interviews with 600 self-identified registered voters. Interviews were conducted January 27 throughFebruary 7, 2010.

Statistically speaking, 95 times out of 100 the margin of error for a sample of this

size is ± 4.1 percentage points for mid-range (40% to 60%) results. The marginof error is smaller for results larger than 60% and lower than 40%.

Gary Lawrence, the president of Lawrence Research, holds a Ph.D. fromStanford University and this month celebrates his 43rd year as a national pollster.

Question wording:

“As far as you personally are concerned, should marriage be between aman and a woman, or should it also be available to same-sex couples?”

“As you may have heard, some legislators want to legalize same-sexmarriage in Maryland and others want to preserve marriage as the unionof a man and a woman. As far as you are concerned, is this an issue thatshould be decided by the state legislature, or is this something that shouldbe decided by the voters?”

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