By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
Same sex marriage? La Trobe is split down the middle, according to a poll by MP for La Trobe Jason Wood.
Mr Wood is using the #LATROBEVOTES survey to poll the entire electorate on same sex marriage, which will then decide his vote in Parliament.
He has released the results from the first two days of the electoral poll, with results varying.
On day one of the ballot 64.6 per cent of 154 respondents did not support changing the Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriage.
Day two saw a rise in response and a swing in the opposite direction, with 54.1 per cent of 512 respondents replying that they did support same-sex marriage.
The survey is being delivered to letterboxes in La Trobe this week and a response is not compulsory.
One voting card will be delivered to each household, though people can also vote online or request more voting cards.
Mr Wood told the Gazette in June that the issue was emotive and required a unique approach such as the survey.
“The matter of same-sex marriage is one that people feel so passionately for or against and I decided I really had to be as democratic as possible when a decision like this goes to the core of how people live their lives,” he said.
“This time rather than leading the constituency of La Trobe, the constituency of La Trobe must lead my decision.“
The issue has been made especially topical by the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in all 50 states of America, with many taking to social media to express their views and lobbying politicians.
