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On Tuesday, South Dakotans will have an opportunity to vote on two measures of particular note, one banning gay marriage the other outlawing abortions without exclusion for rape, incest or the health of the mother. Mason-Dixon polling on the latter issue shows that
voters in the state are prepared to say no to new restrictions on abortion by a 52 percent to 42 percent margin. On the former issue, South Dakota voters are split on the issue of banning gay marriage, with
47 percent opposing a ban and 46 percent supporting it. In Colorado, where voters will also be deciding whether to ban gay marriage, new SurveyUSA polling shows voters similarly split, with
41 percent opposing the ban and 40 percent supporting it. No matter how you slice these numbers, they represent a major shift in public opinion from just two years ago.
Oregon, where I vote, is seeing a similar shift. A new Oregonian / KATU News poll (.pdf) conducted by non-partisan firm Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall finds some interesting results from the three (of ten, total) ballot measures that they poll. On Measure 43, parental notification for teen abortions,
50 percent of Oregonians oppose the measure while just 42 percent support it.
(poll links included here-)
http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/11/3/15958/1409