LUMBERTON — The Robeson County Board of Commissioners has thrown its support behind the upcoming state constitutional amendment aimed at maintaining the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Although same-sex marriage is already barred by state law, if North Carolina voters favor the amendment, the ban would be added to the state constitution.

According to Commissioner David Edge, acting at the request of state Rep. G.L. Pridgen, the commissioners have been informally polled by phone to determine their support for a resolution supporting passage of the constitutional amendment. Edge said the poll was taken last week, and the commissioners have agreed to endorse the amendment through a resolution that would be adopted on election eve.

“The Robeson County Board of Commissioners endorses the proposed Marriage Amendment to the North Carolina Constitution which states that the only domestic legal union that is valid or recognized in North Carolina is marriage between one man and one woman,” the amendment reads.

The commissioners will formally vote on the resolution at their next regular monthly meeting on May 7, the day before the primary.

Last month, a similar resolution supporting the amendment was passed by Robeson County Republicans at their party convention.

John McNeill, chairman of the county’s Democratic Party, said Wednesday that the local Democratic organization has not formally endorsed a similar resolution. He said such a resolution would have had to come before Democrats at their recent party convention to have been considered.

“No delegate to the convention submitted such a resolution for consideration,” McNeill said.

The Robeson County Board of Commissioners joins several other county board that have gone on record supporting the amendment: the Orange County Board of Commissioners has gone on record opposing it.

Staff writer Bob Shiles can be reached at 910-272-6117 or bshiles@heartlandpublications.com.