New polls on key measures

By Jennie Drage Bowser

Election day is right around the corner, with the first polling places opening in just over 24 hours. Let's take one last look at the polling data before the election results start trickling in.

Marriage

Thirty-two states have voted on same-sex marriage over the past decade and a half, and all 32 have voted against it. Two weeks ago, all signs were pointing toward a big change in this pattern this year. While some margins have tightened, it still looks likely that voters in at least one state will approve same-sex marriage on Tuesday. Passage appears near-certain in Washington, with smaller majorities favoring legalizing in Maine and Maryland. The Minnesota question remains in a statistical tie.

State	October Poll	September Poll
Maine	52% favor legalizing 45% oppose legalizing 3% undecided November 2 poll	57% favor legalizing 36% oppose legalizing 7% undecided September 30 poll
Maryland	55% favor legalizing 39% oppose legalizing 6% undecided October 29 poll	51% favor legalizing 43% oppose legalizing 6% undecided September 26 poll
Minnesota	47% oppose banning SS marriage 48% favor banning SS marriage 5% undecided October 28 poll	47% oppose banning SS marriage 49% favor banning SS marriage 4% undecided September 24 poll
Washington	58% favor legalizing 37% oppose legalizing 5% undecided November 1 poll	52% favor legalizing 40% oppose legalizing 8% undecided Mid-September poll

Drug Policy

Three states will vote on the sale, possession, and use of limited amounts of marijuana for anyone over the age of 21. Among the three, Washington voters are the most likely to approve legalization.

• Colorado:  50% yes / 44% no, according to a November 4 poll by the  Denver Post
• Oregon: 49% yes / 42% no, according to an October 29 poll by The Oregonian
• Washington: 55.4% yes / 37.6% no, according to a November 1 poll by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer