Lack of Knowledge of Anti-Equality North Carolina Constitutional Amendment Drives Support –

If Amendment Passes a Victory for Bigotry Based on Ignorance

Republicans in North Carolina want to amend that state's Constitution to ban same sex marriage (and a whole bunch of other things, we’ll get to that in a minute).  So the first thing they did was schedule the election on the same day as the Republican Presidential primary.  They knew that a general election vote would be more fair, because a larger number of voters would be voting.  By scheduling the vote during the primary they assured that the voting would be skewed. 

Polling in the North Carolina referendum shows substantial support for the amendment.

A new survey of likely voters shows the constitutional amendment on the May 8 ballot passing by a healthy margin: 58 percent in favor and 38 percent opposed.

but guess what, most North Carolinians don’t know what the amendment really does.

But Public Policy Polling found that only about one-third of the respondents actually know what the amendment would do.

which is of course is exactly the way Republicans want things.  See when voters actually pay attention and understand what Republicans are proposing, they generally vote against them.  So here is what is actually in the amendment.

if approved, it would place in the state’s constitution a prohibition against legally recognizing gay marriage – as well as civil unions between same-sex couples and domestic partnerships between opposite-sex couples.

And guess what, when people are informed about the amendment the support drops, big time.

The PPP poll showed 28 percent think it only bans gay marriage. But when told that the amendment also prohibits civil unions, support dropped significantly: 41 percent in favor and 42 percent opposed.

So expect Republicans to work heavily to keep the electorate ignorant.  After all, an uninformed electorate is about the only way that Republicans can win, and they know that better than anyone else.