FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 4, 2001
Contact: Michelle Kibiger
(651) 296-2146, Fax: (651) 297-8135
2001 State Fair Poll Results
[St. Paul] -- Minnesotans strongly support the notion that voters should have to present
identification in order to receive a ballot at the polling place, they think the legal
blood-alcohol level should be lowered to .08 percent, and grocery stores should be allowed
to sell wine. However, an overwhelming number of fairgoers said they do not support the notion
that professional sports teams should receive state support to build new stadiums. Those were
among the findings of an unofficial opinion poll conducted by the Minnesota House of
Representatives during the 2001 State Fair.
More than 75 percent of fairgoers voted yes when asked whether voters should provide a photo ID.
Current law does not require registered voters to show photo identification to vote on Election
Day. Unregistered voters may have to provide identification to verify their address. On the stadium
issue, more than 67 percent of fairgoers said the state should not provide loans to professional
sports teams to build new facilities.
The 2001 poll also found that drivers should not be allowed to talk on a cellular phone while
driving, the state should not construct a state-owned, state-operated casino, the state Board of
Education should be re-established to oversee statewide education policies, and fairgoers also
support a mandate on biodiesel content in diesel fuel.
Fairgoers, House members, and House staff volunteering at the fair did express concern over
one question dealing with the concealed carry issue. A proposal during the 2001 legislative session
would have taken discretion for granting a concealed weapons permit away from sheriffs and police
chiefs, establishing instead a list of criteria, including a background check and firearms safety
training course. The proposal would have required that anyone meeting all the criteria would have
been automatically granted a permit. Some fairgoers were confused by the question, thinking it was
asking whether people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons at all. They also expressed
concern that the 2001 proposal wasn't explained completely enough in the question to understand
the debate.
More fairgoers participated in the 2001 State Fair poll than previous years, with 9,102 people
stopping by the House booth in the Education Building to take the 10-question, unscientific survey.
The results were electronically calculated after the fair concluded Sept. 3. Here's a look at the
poll questions with fairgoers' responses:
1. Should the state make talking on a cellular phone while driving illegal?
| Yes | 58.4% | (5,320) |
| No | 33.8% | (3,079) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 7.0% | (641) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (62) |
2. Should people be required to show a picture ID at their polling place before they are
given a ballot to vote?
| Yes | 75.0% | (6,829) |
| No | 18.3% | (1,669) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 6.0% | (550) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (54) |
3. Should the legal blood-alcohol limit for drunk driving be lowered from .10 percent to
.08 percent?
| Yes | 56.1% | (5,109) |
| No | 37.5% | (3,416) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 5.3% | (478) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (99) |
4. Do you support construction of a state-owned and state-operated casino in Minnesota?
| Yes | 34.2% | (3,111) |
| No | 56.7% | (5,157) |
| Undecided/No opinion | 8.4% | (766) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (68) |
5. Should the state Board of Education, which was abolished in 1999, be re-established?
| Yes | 41.4% | (3,764) |
| No | 29.2% | (2,656) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 28.4% | (2,588) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (94) |
6. Do you support tougher penalties for hunters and anglers who violate the state's game
and fish limit laws?
| Yes | 70.9% | (6,457) |
| No | 16.6% | (1,512) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 11.5% | (1,045) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (88) |
7. Should grocery stores be allowed to sell wine?
| Yes | 57.5% | (5,232) |
| No | 35.7% | (3,252) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 5.9% | (541) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (77) |
8. For several years, state law has required that unleaded gasoline contain a certain
percentage of the fuel additive ethanol. Should the state require that diesel fuels also
contain a percentage of the additive biodiesel, a liquid fuel derived from organic oils?
| Yes | 51.4% | (4,677) |
| No | 21.0% | (1,913) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 26.5% | (2,419) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | 1.0% | (93) |
9. Do you believe county sheriffs and police chiefs should have the discretion to grant
or deny applications for state residents to obtain a concealed weapons permit?
| Yes | 48.5% | (4,417) |
| No | 38.5% | (3,504) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 11.7% | (1,066) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | 1.3% | (115) |
10. In general, do you think the state should provide support, through interest-free
or low-interest loans, to professional sports teams desiring to build new facilities?
| Yes | 25.8% | (2,345) |
| No | 67.3% | (6,123) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 6.1% | (556) |
| Left blank/vote not tallied | less than 1% | (78) |
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Please Note: The Minnesota House of Representatives' survey is informal and unscientific. It is simply a
measurement of the opinions expressed by those who took the time to complete the poll while visiting our
booth at the fair. Our main purpose in conducting this opinion poll was to familiarize fairgoers with some
of the issues that have recently been discussed by the Legislature and issues that may be debated during
the upcoming legislative session.