53% of Voters Say They Back Va. Same-Sex Marriage Ban

The lower numbers in Virginia reflect a national trend of weakening support for state efforts to ban same-sex marriage, several experts said. Twenty states have passed similar measures since 1998, many with about 75 percent support. The lowest level of support an amendment received was 57 percent in Oregon in 2004.

But this year, poll results in several states with similar ballot measures show weaker support than in 2004, when 11 states passed constitutional amendments. Polls in Colorado and Wisconsin show results similar to Virginia's; poll results in South Dakota are mixed.

John C. Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life, said the momentum for such amendments at the ballot box has been hurt by recent court cases that have upheld bans on same-sex marriages.

"Two things seem to be going on," Green said. "Opponents [of same sex marriage amendments] are much more organized than they were two years ago. And if you look at what judges have been doing over the past year . . . they've been supporting the definitions of traditional marriage. So some of the edge is off."

The constitutional amendment received its strongest support from Republicans, blacks and those who say they go to church more than once a month, reflecting national trends.

"My religion teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman, and quite frankly, that's all I need to help me understand how I need to vote," said Sandy Ledford, 57, a housewife from Botetourt County, in the state's rural southwest. "It's pretty simple for me."

"I'm not a homophobe," said Charles Wortham, 60, a dentist from Hanover County, outside Richmond. "My view is simply that marriage is there to establish a legal process for the procreation of children. It's Mother Nature. Same-sex couples can't naturally reproduce, so it doesn't seem like they should be able to marry like a traditional family."

Wortham said that he had heard the arguments raised by opponents regarding the measure's unintended consequences but that he didn't believe the claims. "I don't think any of that stuff is going to happen," he said.

The Washington Post poll is based on telephone interviews with 1,004 randomly selected Virginia likely voters and was conducted Oct. 10-12.

The poll results generally hewed to party lines: Seventy-five percent of Republicans back the amendment, and 59 percent of Democrats oppose it. Independents were nearly split, with 49 percent against it and 45 percent for it.

Seventy-three percent of people who also said they would vote to reelect Allen backed the amendment, and 23 percent said they'll vote against it. Two-thirds of those who support Allen but oppose the amendment are women.

Among those who said they would vote for Democrat James Webb for U.S. Senate, 67 percent opposed the measure and 31 percent supported it. Allen favors the amendment, and Webb is opposed because he thinks the language goes beyond prohibiting same-sex marriage. Webb believes marriage is between one man and one woman.

The only group to significantly cross party lines was blacks. In the poll, blacks supported Webb by 81 percent to 11 percent, but they favored the amendment 61 percent to 34 percent. "I don't believe in gay relationships; I just don't believe that they are right," said Aaron Moore, 26, from Chesapeake, who added that he follows the Pentecostal faith and will vote for Webb. "Even though I'm a Democrat, it's just something that I disagree with most Democrats on."

Whites supported the measure 51 percent to 45 percent, the poll found.

Opponents of the measure include Democrats, those who said they do not attend church often and political independents. "These kinds of rights, being able to get married, they should be open to everybody," said Beverly Gordon, 51, a teacher from Hampton. "Voting, access to schools, marriage -- these are all things that people should have equal ability to have."

Others said they were concerned about unintended consequences. The amendment "doesn't specify anywhere that it's talking only about homosexual couples," said Faye Talhame, 49, a real estate agent from Loudoun County. "This goes way too far. Who knows what it would do? Why do we want to pass such a thing?"

Polling director Jon Cohen, database editor Dan Keating and staff writer Robert Barnes contributed to this report.