Minnesota House of Representatives

Accessibility menu

Menu

Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Joe Atkins

583 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192

For more information contact: Christina Gosack 651-296-5524

Posted: 2005-09-07 00:00:00
Share on: 



Press/News Releases

2005 State Fair Poll Shows 'No' To Special Session

Nearly 70 percent of those participating in the 2005 House of Representatives State Fair Poll do not believe that a special session should be called this year to deal with stadium issues for the Twins, Vikings or Gophers, reports Representative Joe Atkins.
Representative Atkins got a chance to visit directly with local fairgoers on August 29th when he and Rep. Lloyd Cybart hosted an informal, bi-partisan town meeting at the State Fair.
"What better time to meet up with constituents than at the 'Great Minnesota Get Together'?," Atkins said. "Thanks to all the folks who took the time to stop by and share their thoughts."
During the 12-day run of the Minnesota State Fair, a total of 8,822 fairgoers took the poll conducted by the nonpartisan House Public Information Services Office. It is an informal, unscientific survey on a number of issues discussed in prior legislative sessions and may again be topics of discussion.
Results show that 81.1 percent of polltakers believe residents should have a say when a city or county wants to raise its local sales tax for whatever purpose. The Hennepin County Board has proposed paying the county's share of a new Twins ballpark on the edge of downtown Minneapolis through a countywide sales tax increase of 0.15 percent without a voter referendum.
Voters also strongly support dedicated funding to clean up polluted waters, believe that at least one-half the members in the House and Senate should be up for election every two years and most would be willing to pay a fee on electronics purchases to fund a statewide electronics recycling program.
Slightly more than half of voters generally support increasing the state's gas tax to support road and bridge funding.
When it comes to gambling, an oft-discussed budget tool in the 2005 legislative session, 47.4 percent of voting fairgoers oppose the so-called "racino" at Canterbury Park and 44.8 percent support the plan. More than 62 percent of voters oppose the idea of a state-run casino at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The majority of voters also believe that when no legal directive is provided, the state should not presume that a person wants a feeding tube inserted to sustain life; ticket scalping should not be legalized; and capital punishment should not be reinstated.
More than 63 percent of ballot casters believe co-curricular school activities should remain the responsibility of the school district, not local governments.
Here's a look at the questions and results.

1. Should the governor call a special session this year for stadium issues?
Yes 25.6% (2,244)
No 69.3% (6,082)
Undecided/No Opinion 5.1% (449)

2. Should a city or county be able to increase its local sales tax for whatever purpose without voter approval?
Yes 14.5% (1,268)
No 81.1% (7,113)
Undecided/No Opinion 4.5% (392)

3. Should Minnesota dedicate up to one-half of 1 percent in state sales taxes to cleaning up polluted waters?
Yes 73.8% (6,466)
No 16.4% (1,436)
Undecided/No Opinion 9.8% (854)

4. In general, do you support increasing the gas tax to fund road and bridge projects?
Yes 53.6% (4,698)
No 38.8% (3,397)
Undecided/No Opinion 7.6% (662)

5. Should capital punishment be reinstated in Minnesota?
Yes 36.7% (3,211)
No 56.5% (4,947)
Undecided/No Opinion 6.8% (595)

6. Should ticket scalping -- reselling an event admission at more than face value -- be legalized?
Yes 31.3% (2,745)
No 57.5% (5,038)
Undecided/No Opinion 11.1% (975)

7. Do you support a state-operated casino at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with admittance limited to ticketed passengers at least 18 years old?
Yes 31.6% (2,770)
No 62.8% (5,503)
Undecided/No Opinion 5.5% (485)

8. Should lawmakers approve the so-called "racino" at Canterbury Park if the state receives a portion of the profits?
Yes 44.8% (3,913)
No 47.4% (4,143)
Undecided/No Opinion 7.8% (686)

9. Should the responsibilities for the non-curricular athletic and fine arts activities of high school students be transferred from school districts to local governments in order to allow school districts to focus on delivering academic services?
Yes 21.2% (1,851)
No 63.4% (5,523)
Undecided/No Opinion 15.3% (1,337)

10. Would you be willing to pay a fee on electronics purchases that would be used to fund a statewide recycling system for electronics components?
Yes 58.9% (5,142)
No 33.4% (2,915)
Undecided/No Opinion 7.8% (678)

11. When no legal directive is provided, should it be presumed under state law that a person wants a feeding tube inserted to sustain life?
Yes 22.5% (1,957)
No 64.5% (5,619)
Undecided/No Opinion 13.0% (1,137)

12. Should House and Senate terms be staggered so that at least one-half the members of each body are up for election every two years?
Yes 68.0% (5,926)
No 16.6% (1,452)
Undecided/No Opinion 15.3% (1,331)

13. What is your favorite state fair attraction?
Animal barns 12.9% (1,064)
Food 36.6% (3,023)
Grandstand shows 1.9% (153)
Machinery Hill 4.2% (345)
Midway 1.4% (113)
People-watching 31.6% (2,607)
This poll 11.5% (950)

- 30 -

Note: All percentages are rounded to the nearest one-tenth. Totals are for those that actually voted on the question. 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 2006 legislative session.

[30]

News Items

Audio & Video

Galleries

No image galleries found

Minnesota House of Representatives  ·   100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, MN   55155   ·   Webmaster@house.mn