A poll conducted September 9-12 by Elway Research for The Spokesman-Review found that none of the six initiatives on Washington's November ballot have strong voter support. Given the fact that campaign season is just beginning and the general effectiveness of spending in opposition to initiatives in swaying voter opinions, this is not good news for the six initiatives. Conventional wisdom holds that an initiative polling below 50% two months before the election is unlikely to overcome voter opposition by Election Day.
I-1053: 48% support / 27% oppose / 25% undecided
Would reinstate the 2/3 vote requirement for the Legislature to pass tax increases (approved back in 2007 by 51.2% of voters). Support was at 65% and opposition at 25% in a June poll.
I-1107: 47% support / 38% oppose / 15% undecided
Would reinstate a temporary tax the Legislature imposed on soda, bottled water, candy and processed foods in order to balance the budget.
I-1098: 44% support / 42% oppose / 14% undecided
Would impose a tax on incomes above $200,000 for a single filer and $400,000 for joint filers; Washington currently has no income tax. Not surprisingly, support is weaker among respondents with higher incomes.
I-1100: 45% support / 34% oppose / 21% undecided
Would permit the private sale of alcohol without requiring retailers to work with wholesalers.
I-1105: 41% support / 33% oppose / 26% undecided
Would permit the private sale of alcohol and require retailers to work with wholesalers.
I-1082: 31% support / 31% oppose / 38% undecided
Would private the state's workers' compensation insurance system.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.5%.
Read more in The Spokesman-Review or the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The Spokesman-Review blog Spin Control has published the most data on the poll results.
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