To: Interested Parties
From:
Project New America
Re: Personhood Ballot Measure is Toxic in
Colorado
Date: August 7, 2012
The Personhood ballot
initiative, which looks poised to appear on the Colorado ballot for the third
consecutive cycle, is widely unpopular in Colorado, according to recent polling
from Project New America (PNA). The
initiative, which was losing by a 2-1 margin when PNA polled in late May, also
has the potential to hurt candidates who support it.
PNA, which has conducted
polls on Colorado Personhood initiatives since 2008, conducted a survey of 601
likely Colorado voters from May 21-24. Respondents were asked whether they
would vote for the exact language of the Personhood initiative as it will
appear on the ballot. 60% said they would vote against the initiative. Just 30% said they’d vote for it.
Personhood is even less
popular among unaffiliated voters, who oppose the measure 65% to 27%.
Importantly, Personhood’s
unpopularity appears to have the potential to turn key voters away from
candidates who support the initiative. In the same poll, PNA asked voters
whether they’d be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports the measure
described, or one who supported it. Among unaffiliated voters, 47% say they’d
be more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes the measure. Just 19% say
they’d be more likely to vote for one who supports it.
