Yesterday Quinnipiac University released another poll indicating that support for Senate Bill 5 is dwindling. The report outlines that, overall, Ohio voters support the repeal of SB 5, the centerpiece of Gov. John Kasich’s legislative program. Opposition to SB 5 has grown significantly – the margin against the bill has almost doubled in the last month up to yesterday’s 25 point margin.
Things don’t look any better for the Governor who pushed through Senate Bill 5 – Gov. Kasich’s approval numbers are following the same downward pattern. The poll released yesteday showed that 52% of Ohio voters continue to remain disatisfied of his job performance.
Peter Brown, an assistant director at Quinnipaic University noted “With two weeks until Election Day, the opponents of SB 5 have strong reason to be optimistic… Except for Republicans, just about every demographic group favors repealing the law.”
The poll indicates that support for repeal is strong across gender, racial, income and education groups:
- Men, 54 – 38 percent, and women, 58 – 27 percent;
- Those without college degrees, 56 – 30 percent, and those with degrees, 57 – 37 percent;
- Whites, 54 – 35 percent, and blacks, 76 – 15 percent;
- Voters making over $100,000, 52 – 42 percent, those who earn less, 59 – 30 percent;
- Voters in union households, 70 – 24 percent, non-union households, 52 – 35 percent.
These numbers would make any politician supporting SB 5/Issue 2 squirm. Gov. John Kasich is no exception. However, he has made it clear that if SB 5 is repealed, he’ll continue to pass legislation that curbs collective bargaining rights – just in smaller doses. What will he go after first? Peter Brown thinks the answer may be in the numbers.
“Although the parts of the law that require public workers to contribute to their retirement and health care costs are popular with voters, the strong opposition to curtailing collective bargaining and seniority rights apparently is what seems to be carrying the day for the law’s opponents. In the end, voters disagree 57 – 34 percent with Kasich’s argument that the limits on union power are needed to balance the budget,” Brown added.
One thing is sure, that in less than two weeks, voters can overturn Senate Bill 5 by voting No on Issue 2, a bill that unfairly attacks working families in the state. As to where we go from there, only time will tell – but we’ve got to stop Senate Bill 5 and Governor Kasich in his tracks before it’s too late. To help repeal SB5 click here.
