Prop. 8 still trailing, but gap is narrowing, poll says
A Field Poll of likely voters finds the measure, which would ban gay marriage, trailing by five percentage points -- 49-44, with 7% undecided. In September, the margin was 14 points.
Less than a week before the election, a new Field Poll shows a measure to ban gay marriage in California trailing in the polls -- but the race is narrowing.
The poll also shows Barack Obama with a 22-point lead over John McCain among likely California voters, with 55% supporting the Democrat versus 33% supporting the Republican. This would be the biggest victory margin of any candidate since World War II in the state.
The fight over Proposition 8, which would amend the California Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman, is much closer, according to the survey.
The Field Poll of 966 likely voters, conducted between Oct. 18 and 28, shows 49% opposed to the measure, 44% in favor and 7% undecided. The race is narrowing. A September Field poll showed the measure trailing by 14 points, 52% to 38%.
The new poll also found that "significant proportions" of voters on both sides are conflicted about the issue.
Women are more likely to oppose Proposition 8 than men, the poll reports; 51% of women and 47% of men surveyed oppose the measure. It also found that respondents who said they personally knew a gay person were more likely to be opposed than respondents who said they did not.
In other races, the survey showed that a majority of voters, 60%, are in favor of Proposition 2, which would mandate humane treatment of caged farm animals.
And many voters remain undecided about Proposition 11, a ballot measure backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that would set up an independent commission to redraw boundaries for legislative districts. The survey found that 45% support it, 30% oppose and 25% are undecided.
The poll has a margin of error is 3.3 points.
Garrison is a Times staff writer.
jessica.garrison@latimes.com
