Apparently the archbishop cannot count

Nearly 62% of Australians voted yes, by postal ballot, to a change in the law that will allow same-sex couples to marry. In spite of the overwhelming majority in favor of marriage equality, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher claims that it is not a majority at all.

Fisher maintains that because 20% of Australians “abstained altogether,” the real support is around 49%. I have no clue how the impaired prelate got to 49% except for the probability that he wanted to claim only minority support for something that he does not like. Nor do I know how he discerns that the 20% of eligible Australians who did not vote were uniformly opposed to same-sex marriage. To get to 49% the entire 20% would have to be opposed.

.80 ⊗ .616 ⊜ .4928

That premise is preposterous. What he is saying is that these people did not vote in order to protest the vote so they forfeited voting against marriage equality. Sure.

The more promising premise is that these people didn't really care one way or the other. They did not “abstain.” They simply did not show up which is a very different thing.

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