Survey Examines Reasons for Arizona's Rejection of Anti-Gay Amendment

Survey Examines Reasons For Arizona's Rejection Of Anti-Gay Amendment
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
November 24, 2006 - 12:01 am ET
(Phoenix, Arizona) Arizona this month became the first state to reject a proposed amendment to its constitution to bar same-sex marriage, but what made voters on Nov. 7 different from their counterparts in other states?
That was the question researchers from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication sought to determine in a new survey of people who voted in the election.
The answer appears to be the broad nature of the amendment, which would have affected thousands of non-gay couples throughout the state.
The proposed amendment would have banned same-sex marriage, civil unions, and prohibited state and local governments from providing marriage-like legal status to relationships other than marriage.
The amendment could have been used to deny partner benefits to same-sex couples and unmarried opposite-sex couples.
Arizonan voters rejected the measure 51 to 48 percent.
The Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University asked people who voted in the election about their decision in a poll taken Nov. 16 - 19.
A majority, 60 percent, of those who voted against the measure said they felt it violated individual rights. But, of those voted against it only 8 percent said they supported same-sex marriage. Another 30 percent said they voted against the measure because it was not fair to deny benefits to unmarried couples.
"This issue had nothing to do with same sex marriage,'' Kyrsten Sinema, a Democratic state lawmaker and leader of the campaign against the amendment told KAET television which sponsored the survey.
"What it did was take away benefits and legal protections that unmarried families in Arizona had. And Arizonans believe that's wrong: that the government shouldn't take things away from people.''
Sinema said the key to defeating the measure was making people understand how broad and encompassing the proposed amendment was.
©365Gay.com 2006