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Most Virginians Don’t Want Officials to Resign, Poll Finds

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Some want Northam, Fairfax, and Herring to resign. Some want them to stay in office. And almost half of Virginians polled just weren’t sure.

Virginians have low approval ratings of Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, but most people say no one should resign or be impeached, according to a recent poll by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. It found that of the state’s three top officials, Attorney General Mark Herring is the best-positioned to remain in office.

Over the past month, the three leaders, all Democrats, have been under scrutiny after several scandals, and some politicians and groups have called for their resignations.

  • Two women have accused Fairfax of sexual assault — allegations he has denied.
  • Northam has been in hot water after the discovery of a photograph in his medical school yearbook showing a man in blackface and another in Ku Klux Klan garb. Northam initially apologized for the photograph and then denied he was in the picture. He later admitted to putting “a little bit of” shoe polish on his face to imitate Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance competition.
  • After calling for Northam’s resignation, Attorney General Mark Herring apologized for wearing blackface when he was 19 years old to imitate a rapper.

With that backdrop, U.Va.’s Center for Politics asked a representative sample of Virginia adults about their opinions of Northam, Fairfax and Herring.

The poll found that of the three leaders, more people believe Fairfax should quit. Thirty-five percent believe Fairfax should resign, and 28 percent favored impeachment.

Only 17 percent of Virginians approve of the governor’s job performance. However, only 31 percent of respondents say he should resign, and 21 percent believe he should be impeached.

According to the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, there was a strong racial divide over whether Fairfax should resign. Thirty-nine percent of white respondents said they favored his resignation, compared with only 8 percent of black respondents.

Of the three officials, Herring had the fewest number of people suggesting he resign (19 percent) or be impeached (14 percent).

The poll involved interviewing 636 adults from Feb. 15-19. It had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

By Emily Holter, Capital News Service. Images via CNS

VIRGINIA: Today is the Last Day to Register to Vote

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Virginians: Today is the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 6 elections. You can register online, in-person or by mail.

Go to Virginia’s online registration website to register or to update your voter record.

To register in-person or by mail, fill out the Voter Registration Form and mail it in, or drop it off at your local voter registration office. You can also register to at your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or at any public library.

For those out of state/county, you can still register to vote by requesting an absentee ballot.

Voter applications must have a Monday, October 15th postmark, and in-person applications must be submitted by 5 p.m.

Online applications are due by 11:59 p.m.To check voter registration requirements and more information, visit the DMV’s website and make sure to check out the candidates for next month’s election here.

Do the right thing.

Poll: Virginians overwhelmingly support pot legalization

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A new poll out of Quinnipiac University confirms what is continuing to be a national trend – folks want legal pot for personal use.

While the poll doesn’t ask how people should get it (full recreational with state sanctioned sale) it found that possession of small amounts for personal use should not be a crime in the Commonwealth.

“They want adults to be able to use marijuana on a recreational basis,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

According to the poll, Virginia voters support allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use by almost 60%. Opposition also exists, with 61% of Republicans and 60% of voters over 65 years old saying no dice, but all other listed groups support legalized marijuana.

An overwhelming, 92% support allowing adults to use marijuana for medical use if a doctor prescribes it. Virginia already has a medical pot law on the books but it is illegal for anyone to sell it, even a pharmacist for medical reasons.

Attempts to alter pot laws have faced massive resistance from conservatives in Richmond. Support for reducing pot convictions was just as impressive last fall according to a VCU Douglas Wilder School poll which found “the majority of Virginians (78%) support reducing the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana to a fine of $100 instead of a misdemeanor conviction.”

But legislation to reduce the sentences for possession was killed in committee.

At the national level, Virginia Congressman Tom Garrett spent his first two months in DC developing pro-pot legislation because of the disproportionate impact such laws have on racial minorities.

But Trump’s AG Jeff Sessions has said he plans to move the opposite direction, cracking down on pot laws, though specifics are not yet in place.

Details on the poll:
From April 6 – 10, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,115 Virginia voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Live interviewers call landlines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research.

top image via Brett Levin Flickr