Columns:: Peach State Poll: Georgians like new electronic voting machines

since 12/15/98

Columns::March 10, 2003

Symposium looks at ways to dismantle ‘persistent poverty’
Daughter of Brown decision plaintiff to deliver annual Tresp Lecture
Vet med students host international meeting
Lecture to consider approaches to first year of college
Study ranks university high in advertising research productivity
Get your (alternative) motor running
Lab results: Diagnostic and investigational facility in Tifton saves lives, dollars
Campus Closeup
Update: Private Giving
Kudos
Unbuckling the Poverty Belt
Warm reception

Campus News

Peach State Poll: Georgians like new electronic voting machines

By Ann Allen
allen@cviog.uga.edu

According to the most recent Peach State Poll, Georgians’ confidence has increased since the introduction of the new electronic voting machines. The majority of Georgians (70 percent) report being very confident that their vote was accurately counted in the 2002 elections; when this question was asked in September 2001, only 56 percent of Georgians reported being very confident.
Poll results clearly indicate, however, that a large gap remains in the confidence level between races. For example, 79 percent of whites report being very confident that their ballot was accurately recorded, while only 40 percent of blacks share this same certainty.
The Peach State Poll is a statewide quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the university’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Other survey results:
• In addition to the confidence gap between races, there is a large racial gap in the reported voting turnout. Seventy-one percent of white respondents reported having voted in November 2002 compared with 51 percent of black respondents.
• Georgians seem to have experienced a smooth transition to the new voting system. An overwhelming majority of Georgians (97 percent) reported having no difficulties in using the new voting machines.
• A plurality (29 percent) of poll respondents state that the most important problem facing Georgia today is the state of the economy. This is a dramatic increase from the 15 percent who believed it to be the most important issue in the previous poll. Education ranks second in level of importance, with 27 percent of Georgians believing it to be the most important issue facing the state.
• The general mood of Georgians has also changed. Fifty-four percent of Georgians reported being satisfied with the way things are going in Georgia. This is a decrease of 11 percent from the September 2002 poll. At the same time, dissatisfaction with the way things are going rose to 39 percent, an increase of 9 percent from the September 2002 poll.
These data are taken from a Peach State Poll survey conducted between Dec. 13 and Dec. 21, 2002. The poll included 800 telephone interviews of randomly selected adults in Georgia. For a sample of this size, the margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is plus or minus 3.5 percent.
Part of the mission of the Vinson Institute is providing policymakers with systematic, objective research to inform policy decisions.
The Peach State Poll aims to give voice to the public on important policy matters and issues pertaining to political, social and economic life in Georgia.

UGA Today supports QuickTime, Flash, RealPlayer and Acrobat Reader (PDF files).
Download information about these plug-ins.
Affiliate icons for UGA Today

COLUMNS ] UGA Today ] Subscribe ] News Bureau ]
Office of Public Affairs Directory ] Photo Services ]
Broadcast, Video & Photography ] Master Calendar]
Columns ] Georgia Magazine ]Visitors Center ]
UGA Home ] Alumni ] Admissions ] UGA Directories ]
Sports ] Weather ] Search UGA sites ]

Columns is produced by the UGA News Service, a unit of UGA Public Affairs.
Beth Roberts: Columns editor, Juliett Dinkins: Columns managing editor,
Janet Beckley: Columns art director. Peter Frey: Columns photo editor

Questions or comments should be directed to columns@uga.edu