Proposed ballot measures that would legalize marijuana and permit same-sex marriage in Oregon each show strong support levels among the state's voters, according to a new poll conducted for Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The April 30-May 2 telephone poll of 400 Oregon voters found that 58 percent favored amending the Constitution to allow gays and lesbians to marry. Fifty-four percent said they backed legalizing adult possession of marijuana.
The survey by DHM Research of Portland also found that voters are much more likely to approve of the performance of Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., than to disapprove. But a relatively strong percentage of voters -- 38 percent -- say they either haven't heard about Merkley or don't know enough about him to draw a judgment.
In addition, the poll found that 76 percent would support extending the state's law on criminal background checks for gun purchases to include private transactions among non-family members. Previous polls have also found strong support for this measure, which has failed to pass in the last two regular legislative sessions.
Sixty-one percent said they favored allowing school districts to prevent people with concealed handgun licenses from carrying guns on school grounds. A measure that would do that has also failed in the Legislature.
The gay marriage and marijuana findings are roughly consistent with other polls. Oregon United for Marriage, a group that has gathered signatures for a same-sex marriage initiative, showed support from 55 percent of voters in its polling, said spokesman Peter Zuckerman.
An April poll found that 64 percent of Oregon voters agreed that marijuana should be "taxed, regulated and legalized for adults." That wording could well have led to more favorable responses than the OPB poll, which simply asked if marijuana should be legalized.
Two different groups are circulating initiatives to legalize marijuana that have different provisions, including how much an individual would be allowed possess.
Here are some of the key numbers from the OPB poll, which had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points:
Gay marriage
Support......58%
Oppose.......36%
Don't know...6%
Marijuana legalization
Support......54%
Oppose.......38%
Don't know...9%
Extending background checks for gun purchases
Support......76%
Oppose.......20%
Don't know...4%
Merkley approval rating
Approve............42%
Disapprove........20%
Don't Know........24%
Never heard of...14%
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., first elected to Congress in 1980, has much stronger approval ratings. Overall, 60 percent gave him favorable ratings while 20 percent disapproved.
The poll also included questions about the governor's race, which OPB released on Wednesday.
-- Jeff Mapes