POLL: Majority of Maryland Voters Support Marriage Equality

The Washington Post reports on a new poll which increases the likelihood that Maryland will become the next state to enact marriage equality:

In the poll, 51 percent of voters say they would favor a law in Maryland allowing same-sex couples to marry, while 44 percent opposed such a law and 5 percent gave no response.

If the legislature passes a same-sex marriage bill, it is likely to be petitioned to the ballot for a statewide vote in 2012. 

[...] 

The Gonzales poll of 802 registered voters who vote regularly was conducted Jan. 13 to Jan. 19. It is said to have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

 What will be very important in determining whether Maryland has marriage equality in 2013 is whether the bill that enacts marriage equality goes into effect well before the November 2012 election. One of the main reasons Proposition 8 passed in November 2008 was that marriage equality had only been in effect for 173 days and most Californians had not had enough time to realize that one couple's (gay) marriage has no impact on anyone else's life, let alone their marriage.

I would also caution observers to notice that 51 percent does not mean that an actual majority of Maryland voters supports marriage equality, the margin of error could put the real number as low as 47.5%. However, it does indicate that the trend is moving in the right direction. I'm sure there will be many more polls before the proposed marriage bill goes into effect.