A UNF poll of likely voters in Florida released on Tuesday found strong support for amendments that would legalize marijuana and enshrine abortion rights in the state.
According to the poll, which was a random sample of 774 residents, Amendment 3, “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana,” had the support of 64% of people asked and 31% said they would vote “no.” A “yes” vote supports legalizing marijuana for adults 21 years old and older and allowing individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana.
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Respondents were also a bit more decisive, with just 5% undecided or refusing to answer, according to UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL). This is largely consistent with the fall of 2023, when 67% of registered voters said they would vote in favor of the amendment.
“It’s not too clear yet how much money will be injected into the campaign against this amendment,” said PORL faculty director and professor of political science Dr. Michael Binder. “If the opposing organizations ramp up their campaigns, we may see this number come down, depending how much cash is spent in opposition.”
The poll found there was also strong support for Amendment 4, the “Right to Abortion Initiative.”
Of those asked, 69% indicated a vote of “yes,” and just 23% said “no.” Eight percent said they did not know or refused to answer.
The proposal says, “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” It provides for one exception that is already in the state constitution: Parents must be notified before their minor children can get an abortion.
This is somewhat more support than it received from registered voters last fall, when 62% said they would vote “yes,” and 29% said “no.”
The overall margin of sampling error in the poll is +/- 4.6%.
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“Again, we have yet to see campaigns on either side of this really get moving,” said Binder. “Factor in the highly contested and contentious financial impact statement recently added to the ballot summary, and I would expect to see support for this amendment drop before November.”
Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant, went into effect in May, and some doctors are concerned that pregnant people in the state will no longer have access to needed health care.
Both amendments on the ballot in November need 60% approval to pass.
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