Gay marriage initiatives in 2012 could galvanize like 2004

Back in the 2004 Presidential election, President Bush benefited from nearly a dozen state-level gay marriage initiatives on the ballot at the same time as the presidential vote. Many argue this was a strategy employed by the White House at the time to help bring out conservative voters motivated to vote against gay marriage while simultaneously voting in favor of President Bush’s reelection. It now appears a similar circumstance could be brewing in the 2012 cycle though it will remain to be seen who this might benefit more given the current tide of the gay marriage battle.

Report from Baptist Press:

ALBANY, N.Y. (BP)–The successful push to legalize “gay marriage” in New York did far more than change state law — it also served to motivate activists on both sides of the issue in other states in a move that could impact the 2012 presidential election as well as federal courts.

The issue, thought to be on the national backburner just a few weeks ago, is front-and-center once again and could find its way on the ballot in as many as five states, with two of them (Maine and Oregon) possibly legalizing it and two (Minnesota and North Carolina) looking at changing state constitutions to define marriage as between a man and a woman. It would appear on the ballot in a fifth state, Maryland, if a bill legalizing “gay marriage” passes and citizens try to reverse the law.

The ballot initiatives could play a role in court cases, too: Federal courts are known to look at what is happening in the states.

All total, at least 10 states could see “gay marriage” as a forefront issue next year — many of them battleground states for the 2012 presidential race.

See the article for a complete list of the states dealing with this issue next year. The most important related to the 2012 Presidential election include Minnesota, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Maine to name a few.