On Friday, Ireland will become the first country to hold a nation-wide referendum for marriage equality. This is a big deal. A really big deal. Ireland isn't the first country to have marriage equality, but many will be watching to see what happens when the question goes before the voters.
Last fall, when I was chatting with one of the Vote Yes campaigners, polling for marriage equality was very strong, well over 70%. He expressed that there is a major difference between answering a polling question and actually getting up, getting out of the house, going to the polling station, and voting yes. And as we've seen the voting day get closer, we have seen the polling tighten. The Independent in Ireland posted this graphic, calling support for marriage in Ireland in a "freefall."
Why has it tightened? Well, many of the same superfluous anti-LGBT arguments that we've seen before have surfaced in Ireland. The Vote Yes side has had to constantly combat misinformation about what the vote is about. This is an issue of civil marriage. Not adoption. Not teaching standards. Nothing else. Sound familiar? This is pretty much what was faced in the Prop 8 campaign.
However, the other issue that the Vote Yes campaign in Ireland is facing is voter apathy. There isn't a culture of voting in special-issue elections like this. Young people, who are the most likely to vote yes are the least likely to actually vote. And the timing of the vote means that many university students are in the middle of exams and some distance from their voting stations. The Irish Times broke down support by age category.
Celebrities like Sir Ian McKellen and Colin Farrell have voiced their support, sharing videos, graphics and tweets, encouraging their fans in Ireland to make a plan to vote on this Friday. Even today, actor Stephen Fry showed off his Gaelic skills, and invited his guests to voice support for a yes vote, in a new video for Vote With Us.
For months the Vote Yes campaign has been making sure that young voters know how important their vote is. The taxi service Hailo has offered free rides to polling stations in rainbow colored cabs. And videos have been aimed at getting out the vote.
At the same time, the Vote Yes side has been reaching out to older voters, who are the most likely to show up at the polls, to explain to them why a yes vote is important for them, their children, and grandchildren. The outreach of other older Irish people has been really important, including the testimony of Brighid and Paddy, who have been married 50 years:
Even with all this work, it's not too late to encourage Irish citizens to vote yes. Take a look at this list of ideas, ranging from sharing videos, to calling up your Irish friends and family.
When Friday rolls around, GLAAD will be monitoring the election results. We hope you will be watching too. As GLAAD's President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, said, "Ireland, you have the opportunity to be a global leader in support of marriage for all. A yes vote on May 22 will inspire other countries, like the United States, to follow suit.