Campaigners are committed to making same-sex marriage a key issue in the upcoming federal election, launching a social media and direct mail push to pass sexual equality laws.

Australian Marriage Equality will seek to survey all election candidates on their specific views on same-sex marriage before deciding who to support and who to condemn.

Australian Marriage Equality national director, Rodney Croome says they are expecting to have a significant impact: “I expect that our campaign will reach millions of voters and will inform them about how they can vote on marriage equality,” Mr Croome said, “that information will be promoted through social media, conventional media and direct mail, particularly in inner-city electorates where this is a hot-button issue.”

A bulk of the opposition comes from the Opposition, with the official LNP stance against same-sex marriage upheld by a majority of its members. But Mr Croome says not all LNP members believe in traditional binaries: “I'm surprised by the number of candidates who are saying they support marriage equality and are looking forward to an opportunity to be able to vote for it,” he said.

The Australian Marriage Equality group intends to step up pressure on LNP leader Tony Abbot, who has denied the possibility of a conscience vote on the issue. His views can be seen as less progressive than those of the 87-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, who recently came out in support of gay marriage and the abolishment of gender and sexual discrimination.