Poll: Progressive ‘Occasional Voters’ Show High Interest in 2014 Election

A new poll from Progress Texas shows that progressive occasional voters are indicating an unusually high level of interest in the gubernatorial election. As we reach the final month of the election, the public will be presented with various polls of likely voters – but a likely voter screen may not tell the whole story.

“We commissioned this poll to learn more about progressive occasional voters and how to boost turnout in the election for governor,” said Edward Espinoza, executive director at Progress Texas. “What we’re seeing is that these voters are showing a very high level of interest in the election of Wendy Davis.”

While these voters do not normally participate in midterms, they indicate an 74% level of interest in this year’s election. The most popular issue driving interest is anti-corruption, which at 90% ranked as the most convincing reason to vote. The poll also showed that 25% rely Internet or social media for news – not television. The number jumps to nearly 40% when narrowed to voters under 40.

“It doesn’t take a ton of money to reach people online,” added Espinoza. “And if you can change turnout, you can change the outcome.”

When asked voters to rank their interest in the election on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, and 74% gave a score of 8-10:

Level of Interest

Percent Responding

10

51%

9

8%

8

15%

7

7%

6

4%

5

7%

4

2%

3

2%

2

1%

1

2%

The poll was conducted September 9th – 15th among progressive “drop-off” voters, consisting of 800 interviews on 478 landlines and 322 cell phones. These were voters with a partisan score of 70 or higher and a turnout score ranging from 25-75. Myers Research conducted the poll in conjunction with Project New America.