Quinnipiac released a new poll on Wednesday about a wide range of Florida political issues. GOP Gov. Rick Scott is still very unpopular. Sens. Bill Nelson (D) and Marco Rubio (R) are fairly popular. And most people think the economy is pretty bad. But I was struck by the very last question, which asked voters for their opinion on Scott’s controversial voter-purge operation:
Quinnipiac
The Tampa Bay Times frames this as majority support for Scott’s purge. And maybe that really is the case, but that’s definitely not what the poll shows. The problem is that the question doesn’t accurately describe the program. It’s not really a “some say this, others say that” situation; the consequences of Scott’s purge are a matter of public record. Hundreds of eligible voters have already been informed by the state that they’re not eligible to vote. The Department of Justice has concluded that the purge is illegal; the county supervisors tasked with carrying out the purge have complained to the state. Presumably, support for purging eligible voters is a bit lower than support for purging ineligible voters.
