Do RI Voters Want to Decide Gay Marriage at the Polls?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Paul J. Spetrini, GoLocalProv News Editor

Should Rhode Island voters decide gay marriage at the polls? One organization believes so and says 78 percent of the state agrees with them.

It’s been a quiet few weeks in the battle over same sex marriage in Rhode Island but that doesn’t mean the two sides have taken any time off from pushing forward with their agenda as the state awaits word from the Senate Judiciary Committee on when the controversial social issue will again come up for discussion.

In fact, it appears things are heating up once again.

A poll released yesterday by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) revealed that 78 percent of Rhode Island voters want to decide the issue in a statewide election, numbers that don’t quite line up with a similar poll conducted two weeks ago by the Public Policy Polling group that said 57 percent of their respondents supported legalizing gay marriage outright.

To Vote or Not to Vote

Christopher Plante, Regional Coordinator for NOM, said the results are clear and show the measure should be decided at the polls.

“It has been clear for years that the vast majority of people in Rhode Island want and deserve the right to vote on the definition of marriage, just as those in 35 other states,” he said. “This year the State Senate has before it resolution 0096 to put the question to the people. That 78% of respondents agree Rhode Islanders deserve the same opportunity will hopefully move the senate to reject redefining marriage and instead put the decision to the people.”

Not to be outdone, the group Rhode Islanders United for Marriage quickly offered a retort to the poll, disputing its findings and saying the matter isn’t one that should ever be decided by a state election.

“Fundamental human and civil rights do not belong on the ballot. Moreover, minority rights should not be subjected to a popular vote of the majority,” said Devin Driscoll, communications director for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage. “It is telling, however, that NOM intentionally chose not to ask Rhode Islanders whether they support marriage equality – and that’s because they already know the answer is a resounding yes. Every public survey over the past two years has demonstrated a majority of Rhode Islanders support extending marriage to all loving, committed couples in the Ocean State.”

Plante says his group isn’t adovacating putting civil rights on the ballot. It’s asking, instead, for a vote on what the definition of marriage is.

“The question is what is marriage?,” he said. “The definition of marriage transcends states, countries, societies and history. Further, the high ground claimed by our opponents that marriage should not be on the ballot is moot. It was our opponents who put marriage on the ballot in Maine and are pushing to marriage on the ballot in at least Ohio and Oregon.”

Ray Sullivan, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI), says putting such a question to voters would be divisive and hurtful.

“If you ask someone how they would feel about, for example, sitting down to dinner watching the news or listening to the radio and seeing or hearing a commercial that was essentially attacking their family, I think they would tell you that that’s not something that they would want to see,” He said.

Reflective of RI Voters?

Both sides of the same-sex marriage debate will have their eyes fixed on the Senate Judiciary Committee if, and when, that body takes up the issue.

NOM’s poll, which can be viewed here, polled 401 registered voters with “at least a nominal voting history randomly selected from the rhode island voter registration rolls,” Plante said and though 71 percent of participants surveyed were over the age of 50, the organization feels the results are a solid indication of how the state feels as a whole.

“It’s a poll of voters, not citizens or even adults,” Plante said. “The results of this survey are nearly identical to numerous other surveys since 2009, including those by Quest research. NOM Rhode Island is confident that these results reflect the people’s long standing desire to vote on the issue of marriage irrespective of their personal position on the definition of marriage.

Governor Lincoln Chafee and other prominent Rhode Island politicians have repeatedly expressed a desire to have lawmakers decide the issue in the General Assembly, rather than the polls, and Sullivan says he hopes that’s the way it plays out.

“It’s not just the Governor, it’s the Speaker and the Senate President who have said that they don’t favor moving forward with putting this on the ballot so I know there’s going to be people to continue to ask this question but we believe that legislators are elected to lead,” he said.

Plante calls Chafee “out of step with the people of Rhode Island” on the issue and hopes voters will one day have the chance to make the choice for themselves.

“We’ve voted on ports, casinos, and changing the name of the state, how much more important is marriage to the people of Rhode Island?,” he said. “Shouldn’t Rhode Islanders have the same opportunity to decide this issue as those in the other states?”

In the meantime, both sides of the debate are eagerly awaiting the debate to reach the Senate Judiciary Committee, even if not knowing when the matter might be discussed is a bit disheartening.

“There’s a process,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to respect that process and continue to play by the rules. The Senate has said there will be a hearing on this and we take them at their word and look forward to continuing having thoughtful and productive conversations with all 38 members of the senate and hopefully move forward with passing this important legislation.”

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Comments:

pearl fanch

9:24am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

All I know is that RI TAXPAYERS want this issue to go away. I don't care if the voters turn it down, or if our politicians turn it down.

Once this issue is dead, which it was already dead at one point, then maybe....just maybe, the GA can start discussing something worthwhile in the state house.

Ronald Syper

10:34am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The issue should go to a vote by the voters.

Thomas Kolodziejczak

11:41am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The issue will go to a vote by the voters whether or not the General Assembly appproves this ill-conceived legislation. An election...where the public gets to decide who shall represent them is the power the people already wield. If you don't like how your rep or senator voted on this or any other issue...remove them! Don't alter the Constitution just do your job as a citizen!!!

jon paycheck

12:00pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

who would be against this except the 5% that want it and know it might never pass.

much easier to just squeeze the ga.....

barry schiller

5:10pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I support marriage equality AND allowing a public vote, since that is probably the only way to pass it. I see no problem with using a referendum to EXPAND civil rights, as marriage equality folks just did in Maine. However, a bill by anti-equality Senator Ciccone that purports to put it to a vote is deceptive, if his referendum passes, same sex marriage is forbidden in the constitution, if it fails, the status quo of no marriage equality remains.

In general, Rhode Islanders need more opportunity for referenda to address problems the Assembly cannot handle.

J. Ferreira

2:14pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013

It is precisely because of this lack of civil rights equality in RI on this issue that my partner & I left RI, taking our income and the taxes derived therefrom with us. It is clear that too many Rhode Islanders want to maintain exclusion and bigotry in this state, and that includes too many people posting in this forum. And pearl fanch, civil rights should never be seen as an unimportant issue, unless you look to prevent others from achieving them. Given your track record of posts, however, it's clear that you prefer treating people who don't share your beliefs as second class citizens, so I'm not expecting to change your, or anyone else mind here.

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