Kim Davis should do her job, most in poll say

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis may have gleaned encouragement from the pope, but a majority of Kentucky voters still say the clerk must set aside her religious objections and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Results from the latest Bluegrass Poll, released Thursday, show that 51 percent of registered voters believe Davis should be required to issue the forms while 42 percent would grant her freedom to refuse. Another 7 percent were not sure.

And while the overall issue of same-sex marriage may help Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Matt Bevin appeal to their political bases, many voters say it will not impact their choice in this year’s race for governor.

Around 34 percent of respondents said they were more likely to support Conway because of the issue, while 32 percent were more likely to vote for Bevin. Thirty-three percent said they were either not sure or that the issue does not affect their decision.

Vatican: Kim Davis-pope meeting not 'support'

SurveyUSA conducted the poll Sept. 22-27 for The Courier-Journal, WHAS-11, the Lexington Herald-Leader and WKYT-TV. Pollsters gauged the attitudes of 866 registered voters when asking if Davis should be forced to issue licenses. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

“She just simply needs to do her job,” said Claude Purvis, one participant in the poll who described himself as a moderate independent. “Where do you stop? If she says she can’t approve a license for this particular thing because of her religious beliefs, what else is there that she might not be able to approve?”

Locals condemn, praise Davis' visit with pope

Purvis, a retired educator and school administrator who lives in Ballardsville, said the matter won't affect his vote and he doesn’t see how issuing a license under state law would conflict with any religious belief. But, he reasoned, denying couples the paperwork conflicts with constitutional rights to marry.

“We walk around every day with our own conscience and religious beliefs,” he said. “We come across all sorts of situations that might not be compatible with our religious beliefs, but we adapt to them and go on.”

Greggory Turner, a retired apartment manager in Louisville, disagreed, arguing that the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and that Christians have stood on the sidelines too long while the country faces a moral decline.

“Our Christian faith has been persecuted for a long time,” he said. “They don’t want you to say ‘Merry Christmas.’ They don’t want you to pray in the name of Jesus. They don’t want crosses put up in public places. What they are wanting to do is totally do away with anyone and anything that relates to the salvation that Jesus Christ has provided for us.”

Turner, who identified himself as a very conservative Republican, drew parallels between the marriage license issue and end-times prophecy in the Bible. He said he would like the country to find a new approach to replace the U.S. Supreme Court, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in June.

"If there is no resistance, they continue to push," he said.

Davis has refused to sign or authorize licenses for all couples ever since the Supreme Court decision — a policy that sparked a court injunction and landed her in jail for six days.

A deputy clerk in her office has been giving out a highly modified version of the forms for the past few weeks that deletes all mention of Davis or her office.

According to poll results, Davis receives the biggest support from conservatives and Republicans, who backed her policy 58 percent to 35 percent. In comparison, 62 percent of Democrats said she should have to provide licenses, while only 32 percent said she should not.

Beshear: Kim Davis’s legal arguments 'absurd'

Political independents also supported a requirement to provide licenses, 54 percent to 36 percent.

Regionally, Davis received the most support in Eastern Kentucky, a rural area of the state where Rowan County is located. Fifty-seven percent of respondents there favored giving Davis a choice, while 39 percent opposed. In Jefferson County, 66 percent said Davis should provide licenses, compared with 27 percent who said she should not be forced.

Women, African Americans and voters ages 18 to 34 were more likely to say Davis should be required to issue licenses. Education likewise played a role in people’s opinions: Participants with a four-year college degree favored a requirement, 63 percent to 30 percent. But those with only a high school diploma sided with Davis, 54 percent to 39 percent.

“This is consistent with what we’ve been seeing nationwide, which is that the majority of folks believe that, especially with an elected government official, folks are required to follow the law,” said Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign.

Still, Martin Cothran, senior policy analyst for the Family Foundation, said more people agree with Davis than the poll indicates. He said many people haven't thought through the issue yet and that the survey question doesn’t mention that the law changed after Davis took office.

“I think if it were cast in that light, a lot of people would think about their own jobs and wonder what their options would be if they were hired with one understanding and later that understanding was changed,” he said.

Around 75 percent of Conway's supporters say Davis should give out licenses, and 67 percent of Bevin's supporters say she should not.

Bevin has said he opposes the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, a stance that predictably plays best among strong Republicans and conservatives. Conway has said he agrees with it, seeing the most support among strong Democrats and liberals.

Meanwhile, 38 percent of independents and 37 percent of moderates said same-sex marriage will not affect their vote.

Gary Warrix, a retired teacher in Letcher County who considers himself a very liberal Democrat, said he applauds Conway's decision not to appeal the ruling from U.S. District Judge John Heyburn that struck down Kentucky's ban on gay marriage. “I just believe in equality, pure and simple.”

Letters on Kim Davis and the Pope

But Turner said he plans to support Bevin because the candidate stands for biblical values, and he said the Davis conflict ranks high on his list of issues.

Davis has remained in the national spotlight for months. And a Bluegrass Poll in the summer found that a majority of voters believed she should either be excused from issuing licenses or that the job should be transferred to a state agency. That means most respondents in that poll supported special accommodations for religious clerks.

However, differences in the question's wording make it difficult to compare the earlier poll with the new numbers.

“If it does have an effect in the election, I think it will be that people are tired of the Kim Davis issue and are not going to be supporting candidates that have aligned themselves with her outlandish attempt to seize upon some national media attention,” Hartman said.

Reporter Mike Wynn can be reached at (502) 875-5136 or mwynn@courier-journal.com.