Majorities of Florida voters support referendums to restore abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana — but not necessarily enough to win passage of the proposals. A Florida Atlantic University poll released Wednesday found both falling short of the 60% required for passage. A Suffolk University poll also found the abortion amendment short of hitting the threshold, and the marijuana question with slightly more than it needs.
Abortion: FAU found 56% of voters surveyed support and 21% oppose Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. The Suffolk/USA TODAY/WSVN-Ch. 7 poll reported 58% support and 35% opposed.
Marijuana: FAU found 56% support and 29% oppose Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana for people age 21 and older. Suffolk reported 63% in favor and 33% opposed. There are still more than enough voters who said they didn’t know — 23% on the abortion question and 15% on the marijuana question in the Florida Atlantic University poll — that passage is possible.
Voters will be bombarded with extensive pro and con campaigns on both questions through the fall. So how is it that two Florida polls released on the same day appear contradictory? (A third Florida poll, released 16 days ago, had different results as well. A University of North Florida poll found greater support (69% to 23%) for the abortion rights amendment and for the marijuana referendum (64% to 31%).
It involves the nature of polling. People who .