So why is it difficult for same sex marriage to be approved by the voters?

     It seems like one of those unexplained questions.  With the majority of people responding to polls these days showing a plurality for same sex marriage we still have not seen the voters approving any advancement in marriage equality.  The recent results in North Carolina are only the latest example of this fact. While most people feel that it is only a matter of time until marriage equality supporter break through this barrier it still leaves the question of how long that wait will be.

    The answer to the why this contradiction still exists in understanding who votes.  When you match the approval of marriage equality in the under 30 population at 70-75% and the approval with people over 65 at just 33% with the percentage of voters by age you begin to see why it has been so difficult to approve marriage equality at the ballot box.  Older voters who generally oppose marriage equality vote in much greater numbers than younger people who favor equality.  This push for advancement of equal rights follows past history on many progressive movements.  Until today's young people become a greater percentage of the voting population we will see marriage equality being voted down at the ballot box.

 Another demographic that can be factored into this reality is church attendance declining in young people in a recent Wall Street Journal article.  Church attendance has always been an indicator of support of marriage equality. One of the reasons that equality for gays has been long accepted in Western European countries is the greater secularism in those countries.  It is unfortunate that religion has been used in this and other equality efforts to deny people of their human rights.