Prop 8 Support Wanes In Polls, Others Warn That Battle Remains Close

California Attorney General Jerry Brown's rewording of Proposition 8 may be having an effect; a new poll shows that support for the marriage ban is down by 4%.

The poll found that just 38 percent of likely voters support the measure, while 55 percent intend to vote no. That compares with 42 percent in support and 51 percent opposed in July. Brown amended the Proposition 8 summary language after the state Supreme Court's decision on May 15 to overturn California's previous ban on same-sex marriage. The pollsters found the amended language played a role in that growing opposition, especially among the 30 percent of likely voters interviewed who had never heard of Prop. 8.

Those voters were much more likely to oppose the measure when read Brown's wording (58 percent against it and 30 percent for it) than those in the same category who were read the old version of Prop. 8 (42 percent against and 37 percent for it), according to the Field Poll.

The Brown language reads, in part: "Eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry." The original version read, in part: "Limit on marriage." Brown's revision makes it clear that voters are taking away someone's rights and that made the difference, said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo.

"People are generally in favor of rights for individuals," said DiCamillo. "So eliminating a right has a somewhat negative connotation. It's pulling people who weren't aware of the initiative more to the no side."

Despite this good news, I continue to get daily emails for anti-8 insiders who are warning that the battle is much closer than polls indicate. Please visit the No On 8 site and do your part to help.