Evangelicals Energized To Vote After Same-Sex Marriage Ban Overturned

Election Day is here and Republicans are relying on their base to show up the polls Tuesday in North Carolina. So far, Democrats have outpaced the GOP in the early voting numbers. But social issues may be revving up evangelical Christians and it could make a difference in the final outcome.

Pews are filling up at Berean Baptist Church on a Wednesday night.  Jackie Garner holds her hymn book tightly under her arm. She's a grandmother and has been with the church for over 20 years. Her faith guides her voting and she wants a representative who shares her beliefs on same-sex marriage.

“It really bothers me that the people voted and the judge went against what the people wanted and that really upsets me a lot. It makes me look a little bit closer to Thom Tillis because he is backing the one man one woman marriage,” says Garner.

Assistant Pastors of the church, Jeff Baity, is passing out literature to his congregation. It identifies which candidates are conservative and those who support marriage only between a man and woman.

“The court system in North Carolina is basically dictating to the people that we have to accept a definition of marriage that is unbiblical and is going to place pastors who believe the Bible with a choice," says Baity. "Do we defend the Bible or do we obey the government?”

He says churches across the state are encouraging their members to go to the polls. The GOP is counting on them, says Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican who represents the 11^th congressional district.

“They're typically a lot more committed even on bad weather days to get out and vote. They tend to be more energized during mid-terms, and so with a U.S. Senate race as close as it is, the evangelical vote could be the deciding factor,” says Meadows.

But it's a group that's in decline. According to a recent study, North Carolina has seen a dip in its white evangelical population, from 37 percent to 30 percent since 2007.

Bill Leonard, a professor at the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University, says in the future, the GOP may have to moderate its views to expand their base. But for now, social issues like same-sex marriage could motivate evangelicals enough to make a difference.

“But on the other side, many African American and Latino voters particularly may go out in larger numbers because they are concerned about changes in voting rights, so you have highly volatile issues that may galvanize conservatives and liberals...very different issues but equally polarizing,” says Leonard.

At Berean Baptist, Jacqueline Kennedy is warming up for choir practice.  There's no question who she will vote for.  She says for her, it will all come down to morals. “When God created us he made one man and one woman. We need more Christian leadership in Washington and I wish that more Christians would step up to the plate.”

Kennedy has even gone to rallies in the past to support amendment one, the state's ban on same-sex marriage which was just overturned. No matter what the weather, Kennedy says she'll be at the polls.

Follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news