Washington state looks set to back equal marriage in referendum

In a sign that Washington may be one of the first states to buck the trend on equal marriage referenda, a new poll suggests that voters in the state might approve the measure during the presidential elections this November.

Washington legalised equal marriage early this year , but opponents had gathered more than double the required number of signatures to put the issue to voters through a referendum . The referendum will also ask the voters whether smoking marijuana should be legalised.

Every state which has had a referendum on equal marriage so far has moved to reject it, including, most notoriously, California through the Proposition 8.

However, according to a left-leaning think-tank, Public Policy Polling, voters in Washington are set to approve equal marriage, as they would the use of marijuana, the first time for the state in history.

Nearly 51% supported equal marriage, with 42% opposed, while the rest remain undecided. On marijuana, the votes split 50 to 37 in favour. The error margins are roughly plus or minus 3%. Among democrats in the state, the support for equal marriage jumped to 82%.

Recent polls have found that more Americans support equal marriage than oppose it , a reversal of the historic trend that first began to be observed a year and a half ago.