California still split on gay marriage

SACRAMENTO, March 10 (UPI) -- Californians remain split down the middle on same-sex marriage, and the outcome of another vote on it would be a toss-up, a poll released Tuesday indicated.

The Field Poll surveyed 761 registered voters. While 48 percent would vote for an amendment overturning Proposition 8, 47 percent would not, and 5 percent were undecided, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

In November, 52 percent of the voters supported Proposition 8, which reversed a state Supreme Court ruling that the ban on same-sex marriage violates the California Constitution.

"Opinions haven't changed much since November," said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo. "The closeness of the divide suggests it would depend on the quality of the campaigning and voter turnout."

Younger people are more likely to favor same-sex marriage than their elders. The poll found that 55 percent of voters ages 18 to 39 would reverse Proposition 8, while 58 percent of those 65 and older would not.

The high court heard arguments recently on a challenge to Proposition 8. The justices suggested by their questions that they are likely to uphold the vote while finding that same-sex marriages contracted during the weeks when they were legal remain valid.