August 22, 2013 02:12 PM UTC

Quinnipiac Polling: Coloradans Oppose Recall Effort

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• by: Colorado Pols

According to poll results just released by Quinnipiac University, Colorado voters oppose the use of recall elections despite opposition to recent gun control measures. From a press release:

By wide margins, Colorado voters oppose efforts to recall two state legislators and say 2-1 that efforts to remove legislators when people don’t agree with their vote should be when they face reelection, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Voters say 54 – 35 percent that State Senate President John Morse should not be removed from office because of his support for stricter gun control, the independent Quinnipiac (KWINuh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Voters also say 52 – 36 percent that State Sen. Angela Giron should not be recalled because of her support for stricter gun control.

Colorado voters say 60 – 31 percent that when people don’t agree with a legislator, they should wait for reelection, rather than attempt a recall…

…“With wide partisan and gender divisions, Colorado voters oppose the state’s stricter new gun control laws, but they don’t want to recall State Senate President John Morse or Sen. Angela Giron because they supported these laws,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Philosophically, voters don’t want a recall election every time they disagree with a legislator. They’d rather deal with it every four years.”

It's important to note that these results are from a statewide poll, and don't necessarily indicate opposition for recall efforts in the two specific districts targeted.

The poll results also show that voters say they generally oppose Colorado's new "stricter gun control laws," though from the breakout of opinions on various gun safety measures, voters may not entirely understand them:

Colorado voters support 82 – 16 percent requiring background checks for all gun buyers. Support is strong among all groups.

Voters are divided 49 – 48 percent on a ban on the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

The takeaway here is that voters don't like the phrase "stricter gun control laws," but actually seem to support gun safety measures when asked separately.

It is certainly interesting that Colorado voters are so universally opposed to the idea of a recall election — somewhat surprisingly, in fact, given the complexity of the matter. Overall, this reaffirms the belief that the outcome of the Sept. 10 recalls are going to come down to on-the-ground organizing.