So Prop 4 was voted down by 52%, while Prop 8 was approved by 52%..

[mwei924]

So for those of not familiar with all the ballot issues in California, Prop 4 would've required that a minor notify either a parent or an older relative before getting an abortion. It was voted down by the same percentage that voted in Prop 8.

So who exactly are the 4% of voters who were against gay marriage but were OK with minors getting abortions without telling parents? Assuming that voters did not leave either one blank on their ballots. It would seem to me that those who are against gay marriage would be against abortion for similar reasons, and this was just a law that would require notification, not approval from a family member.

Now it could be that the No on Prop 4 campaign was more effective and had more outreach, but I still wonder about that 4 or 5% who seem to be pro-choice enough to not require parental notification, but still not quite okay with gay marriage.. If we had just gotten that 4% for Prop 8, it would've been shot down as well.

Just from my perspective and my experience, I have a lot of friends who are Asian, and whose parents immigrated from China, Hong Kong, S. Korea, India, etc about 20-25 years ago. And from I know, their parents not extremely religious and are mostly pro-choice, pro-women's rights, etc. BUT I think many of them still are a little uncomfortable with the gay issue because in their old country/culture, it just wasn't really acknowledged or talked about as much as in the U.S. Not to mention, the gay marriage issue didn't really become front page new until a few years back. The good news is that their kids (my friends) are mostly pro-gay marriage and some of them seemed to have had some impact on their parents as well. It's hard to blame them though, because they leave their home country to find a better life in America, but they're not really used to the social debate here. Many of them really aren't homophobic or anti-gay, but it's just newer and less familiar territory for a lot of people.

[DBoon]

1. yes on 4 did not have tens of millions of dollars from out of state

Large scale funding from the Mormon and Catholic Churches doomed the No on 8 effort.

It was the force of pure propaganda, not evidence of any split in the voters

[mwei924]

3. But propaganda still has an audience..

..so even though the Yes on Prop 8 groups were misleading, it still struck something with voters so that they allowed themselves to believe it.

[DBoon]

9. It was FUD and mainly untrue

You blast untruth at enough people and some of them will believe it

The point of propaganda is to create a "reality" that didn't exist before

[glowing]

2. This is why civil rights issues are not decided by the public at large.

The courts or legislative branch need to do this to protect the least among us.. then no one has to go outside their comfort zone withing their own confused issues, and a minority group enjoys being a citizen with full rights.

[nomorenomore08]

4. Maybe straight guys who think "teh gay" is icky, but are afraid they might knock up a 17-year-old.

In answer to "Who are the 4%?" :evilgrin:

And I'm a straight guy myself, so I can say such things with impunity. :P

[slackmaster]

5. You haven't presented any evidence that the 4% you refer to actually exist

I have no doubt that there are people who fit into all four slots of a Prop 4 Yes/No vs. Prop 8 Yes/No matrix.

People vote yes and no on issues and ballot propositions and pick candidates for all kinds of reasons, rational and otherwise. People do not make every choice based on some kind of "package deal".

[nomorenomore08]

6. Good point. And there were a lot of Obama voters, apparently, who voted for Prop 8.

:(

[mwei924]

7. But don't you think that 4% that voted No on Prop 4 would be good people to contact/convince..

..on gay marriage? If they voted down Prop 4, it would seem like they're not fundie Christians who think homosexuality is evil and abortion is like the holocaust but people who can be persuaded by rational arguments.

[slackmaster]

8. I don't know how you would identify or even count who falls into that slot in the grid

There isn't enough information.

[DBoon]

10. That 4% are the ones swayed by the Yes on 8 propaganda

who would not have supported it otherwise and are potentially the ones to reverse that initiative later