Voters in five GOP-leaning states oppose the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act due to the fact it undermines religious liberty and will be used to punish people of faith.
That is according to a survey of 2,000 likely voters in Indiana, Iowa, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. Support for the bill was 41 percent. Forty-seven percent said they oppose the bill.
The opposition swelled to 70 percent among Republicans and 73 percent among conservatives.
Senators Todd Young (Indiana), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Mitt Romney (Utah), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming) were among the 12 Republicans who joined every Senate Democrat on Nov. 16 to advance the bill.
“These results show that voters’ opinions of the Respect for Marriage Act in these five states is not what is being reported,” said Wes Anderson, partner at OnMessage Inc., which conducted the poll. “Voters in these conservative states oppose the bill and this opposition only grows when more information is given. It is clear that it will take more than a naming misdirect to convince the GOP base that this bill is not a threat to their religious liberty.”
Only three of the 12 Republicans had to change their vote in order for an amendment offered by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to be added. Lee’s amendment would guarantee First Amendment protections for people of faith.
Unfortunately, the bill advanced through Monday’s vote with 61 votes.
According to the survey, 53 percent said they oppose the bill when informed it would allow lawsuits against religious organizations for not participating in same-sex marriages. Fifty-two percent oppose the bill when told it will punish faith-based organizations that refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. Fifty-one percent oppose the bill when told the IRS could remove an organization’s tax-exempt status for not recognizing same-sex marriages.
