A new independent poll released today shows that a strong majority of Mainers support a ballot initiative allowing same-sex couples to receive a marriage license. Being afforded equal rights in a marriage is a civil right. Unfortunately right now if partners separate, or one dies, the partner has no legal rights.The poll shows that 55 percent of Mainers favor the citizen’s initiative while only 36 percent oppose.

“Maine’s referendum legalizing same-sex marriage appears likely to pass: WBUR’s poll follows national polls, which show increasing acceptance of same-sex marriage,” the authors of the WBUR poll wrote.

The poll of 506 likely Maine voters was conducted by the independent think tank MassINC Polling Group for WBUR in Boston. The survey has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points and was conducted on June 13-14.

The poll is consistent with other independent public polls conducted this year that show that Maine voters are changing their minds about marriage for same-sex couples.

In April, a poll by the Maine People’s Resource Center showed that 58 percent of likely voters support allowing same-sex couples to marry. And a PPP Poll from March pegged support at 54 percent.

“Polling in Maine – and around the country –consistently shows that voters are changing their minds about allowing same-sex couples to receive a marriage license,” said Matt McTighe, the campaign manager for Mainers United for Marriage. “In the past two years, we’ve had more than 88,000 one-on-one conversations with Maine voters, and we can see a difference. More and more people agree that all loving and committed couples should be able to marry.”

Mainers United for Marriage is the coalition to win marriage for all Maine families. A “Yes” vote in November will allow marriage licenses for loving, committed same-sex couples in Maine. The initiative also protects religious freedom by ensuring that no clergy or church be required to perform or host any marriage ceremony that is outside of their faith.