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Political BLOG |
 March 2008
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The first public poll on the Louisville library tax referendum shows supporters far outnumber opponents. But the biggest number, in terms of impact, is the undecideds. A WHAS 11/Survey USA poll shows: 49% Yes The question to 455 likely Jefferson County voters was this: "On the Louisville Public library referendum, are you certain to vote yes? Certain to vote no? Or, are you not certain how you would vote?" Survey USA decided on the wording of that question, changing what WHAS-TV had recommended. I'm not sure the wording was understood by all of the folks who got the automated survey phone calls. Maybe that's why 22% said they're not certain how they'll vote. Both sides are applauding the results. But tax hike opponent, Metro Council member Kelly Downard, points to an October 1991 poll in the C-J as a sign that the 49% pro-tax result is not good for the 2007 supporters of a new tax. 1991 was the last time a library tax was on the ballot. That C-J Bluegrass Poll showed 63% For the tax just two weeks before election day. The referendum lost. Here's my story on the poll numbers and reaction. 3 CommentsLeave a comment |
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WHAS11.com Political Blog
WHAS11 Reporters blog the latest political news from the campaign trail and beyond. 
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If you live outside of Jefferson County but work in Jefferson County, wouldn't this be considered "taxation without representation"? Does anyone have the statistics of approximately how many people live outside of Jefferson County but would be impacted by this tax? Just curious.....
I participated in this USA survey. The survey was recorded rather than live, so clarification could not be requested. It began with a statement - about awareness of the library issue or of the pending election itself. The first question, if I recall correctly, was how likely I was to VOTE, not how likely I was to vote for the library tax. I was confused by the wording, had to take a moment to try to parse exactly what I was being asked, since I expected the question to be specifically on the tax. It was the second question, I think, that addressed how likely I was to vote for the tax. The options to select for both these questions was rather wordy, with no ability to ask the speaker to repeat or clarify. I'm pretty sure I responded correctly: that I was very likely to vote, and that I intended to vote AGAINST the tax.
My point is, I thought the "survey" was poorly worded -- which kinda mimics the style of the tax proposal on the ballot! Both rather deceptive in their presentation. (And I do have a 4-year college degree.)
Obviously by the end result, this poll result was quite flawed.