Washington Post Maryland Election Poll, October 1994

This special topic poll, conducted October 8-11, 1994, was undertaken to assess public opinion prior to the November 1994 Maryland gubernatorial election. Respondents were asked to give their opinions on the qualifications and abilities of Parris N. Glendening (Democrat) and Ellen R. Sauerbrey (Republican) and the issues affecting the gubernatorial election. Respondents were polled on whether they were registered to vote in Maryland, the probability that they would vote in the gubernatorial election, whether they leaned toward one candidate more than the other and to what degree, which candidate favored a 24 percent cut in the state income tax, whether the respondent favored a 24 percent cut in state income tax, whether Ellen R. Sauerbrey, if elected, would be able to cut the income tax by 24 percent, whether Baltimore received too much, too little, or just the right amount of state funds, whether Baltimore had too much, too little, or just the right amount of influence in the state government, and the biggest problem facing Maryland. Additional questions concerned to what degree respondents trusted the state government to do what was right, whether a woman's welfare benefits should be cut if she has an additional child, and how often respondents worried about the following: their quality of life, their cost of living exceeding their income, an immediate family member becoming the victim of a violent crime, an immediate family member losing her or his job, not being able to afford health care, and future generations having fewer opportunities. Those surveyed were asked whether they believed that the problems in Maryland would not improve regardless of who is elected, whether state spending on public schools should be increased, whether increasing state taxes would be acceptable if the additional income were set aside specifically for public schools, whether tax money from wealthy districts should be used to help schools in poor districts, and whether using tax credits to pay for private or parochial school tuition should be allowed. Further opinions were gathered concerning a ban of smoking in all workplaces, bars, and restaurants, legalized casino gambling in Maryland, a state law requiring someone to obtain a license prior to purchasing a handgun, a state law limiting an individual to one handgun purchase per month, a law that would make discriminating against homosexuals illegal, and dropping restrictions on the circumstances under which an abortion can be paid for by the state. Background variables include education, ethnicity, frequency of attendance of religious services, household income in 1993, impressions of the religious right, political affiliation, political orientation, religious background, religious orientation, and year of birth.