New poll: Ohioans don't want governor, lawmakers to raise taxes or layoff state workers

COLUMBUS — Ohio voters don’t want Gov. John Kasich and lawmakers to raise taxes, layoff state workers, lease the Ohio Turnpike or hire a private company to run state prisons.

But they also don’t think Kasich will be able to keep his promise not to raise taxes, according to the latest poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“Kasich, however, does have an electorate that is optimistic about his ability to turn the state around,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the institute, said in a released statement. “Voters are aware of the problems facing Ohio: 96 percent call the state’s budget problems ‘very serious’ or ‘somewhat serious,’ the highest level of concern we’ve ever measured in the state.”

Connecticut-based Quinnipiac regularly gauges Ohio voters’ opinions on candidates and issues.