FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 5, 2000
Contact: Nick Healy
(651) 296-2146, Fax: (651) 297-8135
2000 State Fair Poll Results
[St. Paul] ‹ Minnesotans strongly back the concept of the basic skills tests that are
required to be eligible for high school graduation, but there appears to be dwindling
support for a unicameral legislature and little interest in partisan endorsements in
judicial races. Those were among the findings of an unofficial opinion poll
conducted by the Minnesota House of Representatives during the 2000 State Fair.
Despite the recent scoring snafu, the poll found that 76.3 percent of respondents support basic skills testing, with
only 16.6 percent in opposition. When asked if they would support a constitutional amendment to create a unicameral
legislature, only 27.7 percent of fairgoers said yes, while 59.3 percent said no. In 1999, the same question found 36.7
percent of respondents in favor of a unicameral system and 49.2 percent in opposition.
The 2000 poll also found that Minnesotans favor felony charges for repeat DWI offenders, resoundingly reject the
idea of lowering the voting age to 16, and don't want the government selling personal data to private companies that use
the information for marketing purposes.
A total of 7,013 fairgoers stopped by the House booth in the Education Building and completed the 10-question poll.
The results were electronically calculated after the fair concluded Sept. 4. Here's a look at the poll questions with
fairgoers' responses:
1. Should cities be allowed to install "photocop" cameras to snap photographs of vehicles that pass through an
intersection after the stoplight has turned red? (Citations would be issued automatically to the owner of the vehicle.)
| Yes | 56.9% | (3,989) |
| No | 35.8% | (2,509) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 6.7% | (471) |
2. Would you support a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the Minnesota Senate and House of
Representatives and replace them with a unicameral (one-house) legislature?
| Yes | 27.5% | (1,926) |
| No | 59.3% | (4,158) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 12.9% | (905) |
3. Should minors be restricted from purchasing video games that portray violence, specifically those with adults
only (AO) or mature (M) ratings from the Entertainment Software Rating Board?
| Yes | 74.3% | (5,209) |
| No | 18.8% | (1,317) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 6.4% | (447) |
4. Should repeat DWI offenders face felony charges?
| Yes | 88.6% | (6,216) |
| No | 6.4% | (446) |
| Undecided/No opinion | 4.4% | (309) |
5. Do you support state law requiring public school students to pass basic skills tests in reading, math, and
writing before they can be eligible for a high school diploma?
| Yes | 76.3% | (5,353) |
| No | 16.6% | (1,167) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 6.4% | (447) |
6. Should judicial candidates such as those running for seats on the Minnesota Supreme Court be endorsed by
political parties and have a party affiliation listed on the ballot?
| Yes | 23.9% | (1,679) |
| No | 61.6% | (4,318) |
| Undecided/No Opinion | 13.8% | (967) |
7. Should the state lower the legal voting age from 18 to 16?
| Yes | 9.3% | (654) |
| No | 88.3% | (6,195) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 1.9% | (131) |
8. Should police officers be able to pull over a vehicle if one or more of its occupants is not wearing a seat belt
(making seat belt violations a primary offense)?
| Yes | 40.9% | (2,870) |
| No | 51.5% | (3,612) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 7.2% | (502) |
9. Should the state offer a discount on the cost of a marriage license for couples who fulfill certain requirements
for premarital education?
| Yes | 48.4% | (3,397) |
| No | 41.1% | (2,879) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 10.0% | (699) |
10. Should state agencies be barred from selling data about individuals (such as fishing license information) to
companies that use the data for marketing purposes?
| Yes | 90.1% | (6,322) |
| No | 7.0% | (489) |
| Undecided/ No Opinion | 2.3% | (161) |
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Please Note: The Minnesota House of Representatives' survey is informal and unscientific. It is simply a
measurement of the opinions expressed by those who took the time to complete the poll while visiting our
booth at the fair. Our main purpose in conducting this opinion poll was to familiarize fairgoers with some
of the issues that have recently been discussed by the Legislature and issues that may be debated during
the upcoming legislative session.