UNF Public Opinion Research Lab releases survey results on Floridian voting opinions and possible preferences
September 24, 2018
Survey results regarding who Florida voters are likely to select as the next governor was released on Sept. 24 by the Public Opinion Research Lab at UNF. The poll was conducted Sept. 17 through Sept. 19 via telephone.
The poll, comprised of Florida residents who are likely to vote in the November election, shows that 47 percent of those surveyed plan to vote for Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate, while 43 percent plan to vote for Ron DeSantis, the Republican candidate. About 10 percent of respondents said they don’t know who their choice will be.
Public Opinion Research Lab Director Michael Binder says that, even though Gillum has a small lead, a lot can happen in the next six weeks.
“With polling numbers this close, the candidates that are most successful getting their voters to the polls are the ones who are going to win,” he explained. “Historically, Florida has had very close statewide elections, and this year is shaping up to be no different.”
It was also determined that Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott were tied with 45 percent of voters saying they would vote for each candidate, while 8 percent said they weren’t sure who’d they be voting for.
According to the survey, it was also determined that a supermajority of those polled support Amendment 4, which involves restoring the voting rights of individuals with felony convictions after they have served their sentences. On whether they would vote “yes” or “no” on Amendment 4, 71 percent of likely voters said they would vote “yes” and 21 percent said they would vote “no.” Those who weren’t sure how they would vote was 8 percent.
“With such a large majority of likely voters saying they would vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 4, this indicates views of this issue are becoming more progressive overall throughout the state, regardless of race,” said Natasha Christie, chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at UNF.
To learn the full results of the poll, you can click here.
—
For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected].
