FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2012
LGB and Allied Voters Critical to 2012Electoral Successes
President’s marriage equality support a netpolitical boon;
WASHINGTON –The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender civil rights organization, today released results of apost-election poll showing a cultural sea-change on LGBT equality reflected invoters’ attitudes.
“Last week’sresults make clear that equality was a winner at the polls and confirms theinherent fairness of the American people,” said HRC President ChadGriffin. “The President proved that support for marriage equality is notjust the right thing to do but also a path toward electoral success.”
Whereas in2004, LGBT issues – and marriage in particular – were used as wedge issues todrive conservative turnout, 2012 is remarkable in that the opposite hashappened. In only eight years, marriage has gone from a wedge for theright, to a motivator for progressives, youth and even independents.
PresidentObama’s national popular vote margin was 3,305,710 votes. As 5 percent ofthe electorate, 6,043,599 lesbian, gay and bisexual people voted overall,favoring the president with 76 percent of their votes, equaling 4,593,136people. Had the LGB population voted the same as the national average,President Obama would have only received 3,082,235 LGB votes. In otherwords, because the LGB community swung so significantly to President Obama, hereceived 1,510,901 more LGB votes – an astounding 45.7% of the President’stotal popular vote margin.
| Total Americans voting | 120,871,984 |
| Total LGB voters (5% of electorate) | 6,043,599 |
| President Obama’s national popular vote (51% of all voters) | 62,088,847 |
| President Obama’s national popular vote margin over Mitt Romney | 3,305,710 |
| LGB votes for President Obama (76% of total LGB votes) | 4,593,136 |
| President Obama’s LGB votes if the demographic group only voted for him at the national average of 51% | 3,082,235 |
| Additional LGB votes President Obama received above the 51% national average | 1,510,901 |
| Percent of President Obama’s national popular vote margin due to LGB voters | 45.7% |
Among thefindings in the poll conducted for HRC by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research:
· Obama voters were twiceas likely to say that the marriage issue was important to their vote(42 percent) than Romney voters (23 percent)
o However, in an open ended question where voters were asked the most importantreason to vote against the President’s re-election, only 2 percent cited"gay marriage."
· Marriage equalitysupporters have more intensity than marriage equality opponents:
· There is no evidencethat this issue mobilized base Republican voters:
· Marriage equalitysupport maintains a national majority – including among diverse demographics:
o Consistent with pre-election surveys, half of 2012 voters favor marriageequality
“Both partiesshould be vying for the votes of the LGBT community and our allies,” saidGriffin. “With the growing breadth and depth of our electoral power, noone should take our votes for granted.”
Thisfair-minded majority resulted in landslide victories up and down the ballot forLGBT Americans. Aside from President Obama’s reelection, voters sent thefirst openly gay U.S. Senator to Washington in Tammy Baldwin, increased thenumber of openly gay and bisexual members of Congress, affirmed marriageequality at the ballot in Maine, Maryland and Washington, defeated adiscriminatory marriage amendment in Minnesota, retained an Iowa Supreme CourtJustice who decided for marriage equality, and built up state legislativemajorities for relationship recognition in states like Colorado and Minnesota.
The fullmemo on the survey is available at: www.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/Election2012_memo.pdf
More onHRC’s electoral victories is available at: www.hrc.org/election
Thesurvey, commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign and conducted by GreenbergQuinlan Rosner Research, was of 1,001 voters nationally who participated in the2012 election. It was conducted between November 5th and 7th, 2012 among thosewho had already voted or were almost certain they would vote in the 2012election and carries an overall margin of error of +/- 3.10.
TheHuman Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working toachieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring andengaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizensand realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
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