Poll shows same-sex referendum faces a divided public

ANNAPOLIS, Md - The same-sex marriage law that Governor O'Malley recently signed into law will face a very divided public come November.

According to a new statewide voter poll just released by OpinionWorks, 43% of Marylanders would vote to make same-sex marriage illegal in Maryland, while 40% would vote to make it legal.

The independent Annapolis based firm polled 601 registered voters from March 16th to the 19th.

The polls shows 11% had no opinion on the subject or said they may not vote on the matter, 5% say they would vote but are not sure how they feel about the matter.

• 43% would vote to make same-sex marriage illegal
• 40% would vote to make same-sex marriage legal
• 11% had no opinion or wouldn't vote

Steve Raabe, President of OpinionWorks said although the result is within the poll's + 4% margin of error, it is the intensity of feeling among same-sex opponents that causes the overall results to lean slightly towards repeal.

Since those who remain undecided on the referendum tend to be slightly more Democratic, younger and less religious than the population, they could change the direction of the referendum in the months ahead.

The voters were randomly-selected across Maryland by telephone from the database of registered voters provided by the Maryland State Board of Elections.