NEWS FLASH

Poll: 54 Percent of North Carolinians Oppose Amendment One | Fifty-four of North Carolinians surveyed are opposed to Amendement One, an amendment banning same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships, according to a nonpartisan poll released today by Elon University. The percentage of those in oppostion to the ban jumped to 57 percent when asked whether they would support an amendment “that would prevent civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples,” with 34 percent expressing strong opposition, up from 22 percent in February 2011. Given Amendment One does, in fact, ban civil unions and domestic partnerships, this speaks to the importance of educating voters about the measure before May 8. Around 38 percent of those polled were supportive of the amendment, compared to polling three months ago where 58 percent of voters said they would vote for the bill in May. These results show momentum against the discriminatory amendment, but reveal that voters still do not understand the full implication of the legislation. — Fatima Najiy