WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- Activists are using politically polarizing issues such as same-sex marriage to pull additional U.S. voters to the polls and possibly affect other ballot lines.
A survey by Stateline.org showed that at least seven states will be voting on same-sex marriage amendments while as many as eight may put plans to raise the minimum wage before voters in this year's hot-button issues.
The presence of such measures can echo up and down the issue's line on the ballot, however, as activists use the question to rally their base to the voting booth and support certain candidates, too. For instance, Stateline says, the presence of a same-sex marriage initiative on the ballot in November 2004 is thought responsible for building up the conservative voting bloc, who checked off George Bush's name at the same time and gave the president his re-election.
While the same-sex marriage issue pulls in conservatives, the presence of a minimum wage initiative is likely to get liberal voters out in numbers, Stateline said.
As states add such issues to ballots, the 36 gubernatorial races in November are likely to be influenced the most, Stateline said.
