March, 2016 – Referendums and Presidential Favorability

A new poll from the Maine People’s Resource Center provides a first look at three ballot measures likely to be voted on this November and voters’ opinions of presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as attention shifts to the General Election.

The MPRC survey of 557 likely voters conducted in March found both Clinton and Trump with higher unfavorable than favorable ratings in Maine. 66% of voters reported an unfavorable opinion of Trump and 33% favorable, compared with 56% and 43% for Clinton.

The survey showed majority support for three citizen initiated referendums likely to be considered this fall, with 66% in favor of requiring criminal background checks for gun transfers, 58% in favor of instituting ranked-choice voting and 54% in favor of legalizing and regulating marijuana for recreational use.

MPRC has the best record of accuracy in predicting election results of any Maine public opinion research organization.