Poll: Overwhelming support for voter ID, term limits; tort reform 2-to-1 against

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. (Talk Business & Politics) - Arkansas voters overwhelmingly favor constitutional proposals to require voter ID and to tighten term limits, and by a 2-to-1 margin they oppose a measure to alter civil lawsuits and court rules.

The latest Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College survey of 1,701 statewide likely voters was conducted on Sept. 5-7, 2018 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.4. The statewide survey sample is actually a combination of four Congressional District polls that achieved more than 400 respondents per district. Automated calls and live calls were conducted.

“I have a great deal of confidence in these polling numbers due to the breadth of our four surveys and the fact that we saw consistent results on statewide questions across all four Congressional Districts,” said Roby Brock, Talk Business & Politics Editor-in-Chief.

Issue 1, also known as the tort reform amendment, may wind up being the most high-profile of the five amendment proposals on this November’s ballot. The measure was referred by the legislature and is currently been kicked off the ballot by a circuit court judge in Pulaski County, but is being appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Q. The Arkansas General Assembly has referred a constitutional amendment to voters, called Issue 1, that will cap attorney fees, limit damages in personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death lawsuits, and give the legislature the authority to control the rules of court procedure. If the election were today, would you vote for or against this constitutional amendment?

25% For

47% Against

28% Don’t Know

Issue 2, the voter ID amendment, was also referred by the state legislature. It has no formal opposition. Issue 3, the term limits amendment, was a citizen-led initiative. A lawsuit to strike it from the ballot is pending.

Q. Issue 2 is a constitutional amendment, referred by the General Assembly, that would require voters in Arkansas to present valid photo identification when casting a ballot. If the election were today, would you vote for or against Issue 2?

71% For

21% Against

8% Don’t Know

Q. A constitutional amendment, called Issue 3, will be on the ballot this November to limit the terms that members of the Arkansas legislature can serve. If passed, this amendment would impose a lifetime limit of 10 years of service for members of the Arkansas General Assembly, along with specific limits of service in each house. If the election were today, would you vote for or against this amendment?

67% For

18% Against

15% Don’t Know

“It would appear that the voter ID and term limits proposals are well on their way to becoming state law unless legal appeals upend them,” Brock said. “With millions of dollars still to be spent on messaging the pros and cons of Issue 1, I expect those numbers to shift.”

For in-depth analysis and methodology click here from KATV content partner Talk Business & Politics.