POLL: New Mexico residents want the NM Supreme Court to rule in favor of marriage

This week a new poll from New Mexico demonstrated majority support for the freedom to marry in the state, contributing momentum to the burgeoning campaign to win marriage for same-sex couples in New Mexico. 

The poll, commissioned by Why Marriage Matters New Mexico, found that 51 percent of voters support the freedom to marry, and 53 percent of voters say they support a ruling from the New Mexico Supreme Court this year declaring the freedom to marry across the state.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has announced that it will hear oral arguments in a marriage case on October 23, 2013. The case will come after an exciting summer in the state. In August and September, eight New Mexico counties extended the freedom to marry to same-sex couples: Bernalillo County, Santa Fe County, Taos County, Doña Ana County, San Miguel County, Los Alamos County, Grant County, and Valencia County. Some counties began issuing marriage licences after being ordered by district courts, and in others, county clerks followed the lead of these rulings and acted independently. The decisions ordering the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples are based on the gender-neutral language in the state's marriage law. Hundreds of same-sex couples have already tied the knot in the state.

When respondents from this week's poll were told that same-sex couples can marry in some New Mexico counties but not others, support increases to evne greater levels among important sectors of the population. A majority of Independents, older Hispanics, Anglo men, Catholics, and Hispanics who attend church weekly support a favorable court ruling after learning that eight counties already have extended marriage to same-sex couples.  

Amber Royster, the executive director of Equality New Mexico, commented on the poll today. She said: 

This poll confirms what we already knew: New Mexicans are ready to extend the freedom to marry to loving, committed same-sex couples. Equally important, it shows that most New Mexicans don’t believe marriage equality will have much, if any, impact on their own lives.

The poll also adds fuel to the fact that it's time for marriage in New Mexico. It's time for the state's high court to issue a decisive ruling in support of fairness for all families in the state. 

Why Marriage Matters New Mexico is a public education in the state formed by Equality New Mexico, the ACLU, the ACLU of New Mexico, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Freedom to Marry is proud to partner with these groups on the campaign to build support for marriage across the state of New Mexico as legal teams continue making the case for equality through litigation in the courts. 

Learn more about marriage in New Mexico HERE.