Kasich sinks lower in polls

By Marc Kovac | July 21, 2011 at 12:03a.m.

COLUMBUS

Ohio voters still don’t approve of Gov. John Kasich or the limits on public employee collective bargaining he signed into law earlier this year.

But even Democrats polled recently by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said they support GOP-backed legislation that would require a government-issued photo identification card in order to cast election ballots.

“Gov. John Kasich is sinking lower in the eyes of Ohio voters, dropping from an 11-point approval deficit two months ago to a 15-point deficit today,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the institute, said in a released statement Wednesday.

“Even after the state budget has been approved as he promised without raising taxes, and even though the Quinnipiac University poll finds that 63 percent say they favor such an approach, Gov. Kasich’s name remains mud in the eyes of the Ohio electorate,” Brown added.

Connecticut-based Quinnipiac regularly gauges Ohioans’ opinions on officeholders, candidates and issues. It surveyed 1,659 registered voters over the past week, asking questions about Kasich, Senate Bill 5 and other issues.

The results have a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.

Kasich continues to receive low-approval ratings among voters, with 50 percent disapproving of his work in office and 35 percent approving it.

That compares with a 49-percent disapproval, 38 percent approval during a similar Quinnipiac poll in May.

Voters also said, by a 56 percent to 32 percent margin, that Senate Bill 5, the controversial collective- bargaining law that is on hold pending a November ballot issue, should be repealed.

“Kasich has until 2014 when he presumably will face the voters, to turn his political fortunes around, but the timeline for the vote on SB5, which is obviously a referendum on the governor’s agenda, is much shorter,” Brown said. “A loss on SB5 would be a no-confidence vote on the governor from the voters of Ohio.”

Those surveyed were more evenly split on another potential ballot issue repealing federal health-insurance mandates in Ohio. Respondents support that effort, 48 percent to 45 percent.

But 78 percent of Ohioans believe voters should be required to show a government-issued ID in order to vote.

Though vehemently opposed by Democratic lawmakers, 66 percent of the Democrats surveyed by Quinnipiac support the move, versus 33 percent who do not.

Lawmakers did not act on related legislation before breaking for the summer recess.