The Public Policy Institute of California released a poll Tuesday night finding that nearly 80% of likely voters are frustrated by the length of the November ballot, which carries 14 statewide propositions along with statewide, congressional and local elections. The poll of 1,745 adult Californians was conducted Sept. 4-10 and has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points in either direction, and 3.8 percentage points among the 1,103 likely voters.
PPIC poll finds Californians frustrated by 14-proposition ballot, pessimistic on state
The Public Policy Institute of California released a poll Tuesday night finding that nearly 80% of likely voters are frustrated by the length of the November ballot, which carries 14 statewide propositions along with statewide, congressional and local elections. The poll of 1,745 adult Californians was conducted Sept. 4-10 and has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points in either direction, and 3.8 percentage points among the 1,103 likely voters.
More than half of the state's likely voters believe California is headed in the wrong direction, and 73% predict sour economic times in the state next year, according to the poll. Less than a quarter of likely voters believe the nation is headed in the right direction. President Trump has an approval rating of 27% among likely voters, and Congress has an approval rating of 16%. Majorities do not have confidence in either major political party's ability to solve problems, the poll found.
Mark Baldassare, PPIC's statewide survey director, said respondents "are feeling very pessimistic." He said: "You know that comes out not just in the questions we ask about the economy, but generally about the direction of the state and the nation. This just indicates the level of negativity that people have going into this final stage before people cast their ballots this November."
Ballots will begin arriving in 23.2 million voters' mailboxes in a little over two weeks, according to the report. The frustration over ballot length is a rare consensus among Democratic, Republican and independent voters, the poll found. Baldassare said: "This year, there are more propositions on the ballot than we've seen for a decade. Overwhelming majorities of Californians say that there are too many propositions on the ballot, too many things for them to decide. And many Californians feel that the wording of ballot initiatives makes it very hard for them to understand what happens if one passes."
Proposition 40, which would tax the assets of billionaires to make up for federal government healthcare cuts, has a slim lead in the poll, with 52% of likely voters saying they support the one-time 5% levy. Propositions 41 and 42 would nullify the wealth tax if one is approved and gets more votes than Proposition 40, and narrow majorities support both of those proposals, according to the poll.
The poll found less competitive contests on the proposal to require showing government-issued identification to vote and in the governor's race, which break along partisan lines in a state where registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1. The voter ID measure is opposed by 55% of likely voters. In the race to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, 60% of likely voters support Democrat Xavier Becerra and 38% support Republican Steve Hilton, with the other 2% undecided or not planning to vote on the race.
- The source does not state the calendar date on which the poll was published, describing it only as Tuesday night.
- The source does not state the year of the November election being polled.
- The source does not describe how poll respondents were contacted or how the sample was drawn beyond the dates, sample sizes and margins of error.
- The source does not state the full wording, sponsorship or official titles of Proposition 40, Propositions 41 and 42, or the voter identification measure.
- The source does not state what share of likely voters were undecided on the propositions.
- The source does not state how the current number of ballot propositions compares with prior years beyond Baldassare's statement that there are more than in a decade.