December 16, 2019

Voters support gun control, ERA, redistricting reform,

minimum wage hike and marijuana decriminalization,
but oppose local control over Confederate monuments
Summary of Key Findings
1. Voters strongly support requiring background checks on all gun
sales (86%-13%) and passing a ‘red flag’ law (73%-23%); a slight
majority (54%-44%) support banning assault-style weapons.

2. Voters strongly back the Equal Rights Amendment (80%-13%).

3. A slight majority oppose giving localities authority to remove or
alter Confederate monuments (51%-44%).

4. Voters strongly support decriminalizing possession of small

amounts of marijuana (83%-14%).

5. Voters strongly support raising the minimum wage (72%-28%)

6. Voters strongly support automatic voter registration (64%-31%),
but slightly oppose no-excuse absentee voting (51%-44%).

7. Voters strongly support second passage of the redistricting reform

constitutional amendment (70%-15%).
For further information, contact:
Dr. Quentin Kidd, Director qkidd@cnu.edu O: (757) 594-8499
Wason Center for Public Policy M: (757) 775-6932
Dr. Rachel Bitecofer, Assistant Director rachel.bitecofer@cnu.edu O: (757) 594-8997
Wason Center for Public Policy @RachelBitecofer M: (541) 729-9824

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Analysis

State of things. Voters’ assessment of the direction of the Commonwealth (Q1) remains
slightly more positive than negative, with 48% of registered voters saying things in
Virginia are moving in the right direction and 41% saying they are moving in the wrong
direction. That assessment is about the same as in Wason Center surveys in April and
October 2019, but significantly worse than a year ago, when 64% of voters thought
Virginia was going in the right direction and 25% thought the direction was wrong. By
contrast, only 29% say things in the country are heading in the right direction (Q2), while
55% say they are heading in the wrong direction. That assessment has generally worsened
since January 2017, but the marked contrast between voters’ more favorable judgment
about the state and their more negative judgment about the nation is common across
years of Wason Center surveys, under governors and presidents of both parties.

Approval-Disapproval ratings. Voters give Governor Ralph Northam a 52%-36%

approval-disapproval rating (Q4), which continues his recovery from the low of 40% in
the April 2019 Wason Center poll, which was conducted soon after the ‘blackface’ scandal
broke. Voters feel roughly the opposite about the job President Donald Trump is doing
(Q3), with 42% saying they approve and 55% saying they disapprove. Trump’s ratings are
roughly the same as in the April 2019 Wason Center survey but improved from the
October 2019 Wason Center survey, which was taken at the height of Virginia’s statewide
legislative campaign (37% approve, 61% disapprove). Attorney General Mark Herring
(Q5) has a 36%-27% approval-disapproval rating among Virginia voters, down
significantly from 42%-17% a year ago but not significantly changed from the April 2019
survey taken soon after he admitted wearing a blackface costume in college in 1980.
Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax’s approval-disapproval rating (Q6) has equalized at
32%-32%, a much higher negative than 35%-13% a year ago, but not significantly changed
from the April 2019 survey conducted soon after he was accused of sexual assaults in 2000
and 2004 – accusations he forcefully denies. By a 10-point margin, 51%-41%, voters
approve of the results of the November elections that gave Democrats control of both
houses of the General Assembly (Q7).

Equal Rights Amendment. Voters continue to back passage of the ERA. In the Wason
Center’s December 2018 poll of Virginia voters, 81% said they supported the General
Assembly passing the Equal Rights Amendment. That strong support remains, with 80%
(Q8) saying they support passage and 13% saying they oppose it. Virginia would be the
38th state to approve the amendment, reaching the threshold for making it part of the U.S.
Constitution. However, ERA opponents argue the deadline for ratification expired in
1982.

Voting and elections. Voters oppose no-excuse absentee voting, but back automatic
registration. Virginia voters oppose a proposal that would allow voters to cast an absentee
ballot without citing a reason during a 21-day period before Election Day (Q17), with 44%
saying they support such a measure and 51% saying they oppose it. But voters say they
strongly support automatic voter registration for all eligible citizens, (Q11) by a wide
margin, 64%-31%.

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Gun control. One of the central issues in the November elections was gun control, and
Virginia voters are firmly in support of further restrictions. The most widely supported
restriction is making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background
checks (Q12A), with 86% of voters saying they support or strongly support that measure.
Three-fourths (76%) of voters oppose or strongly oppose allowing a person who legally
owns a gun to conceal carry that weapon without a permit (Q12C), while 73% say they
support a “red flag” law allowing a family member or the police to seek a court order to
temporarily take guns (Q12D) from legal gun owners judged to be a threat to harm
themselves or others. While a majority of 54% of voters support a ban on assault-style
weapons, this measure has the highest opposition, with 42% saying they oppose or
strongly oppose such a ban (Q12B).

Redistricting reform. Voters support amending Virginia’s constitution to establish a

redistricting commission. By a wide margin, 70%-15%, voters say they support or strongly
support the General Assembly passing for the second time a proposed amendment to the
Virginia Constitution that would create a commission to redraw the state’s legislative
boundaries after each federal Census (Q10). That power now lies with the legislature and
the governor. If the General Assembly passes the amendment a second time, the
amendment will be subject to a voter referendum in November 2020. If approved by the
voters, the reformed process would take effect for the required 2021 redistricting. Voter
awareness of the redistricting process has improved since 2015, when the Wason Center
began tracking it. Currently, voter awareness stands at 54%, down 4 points since a year
ago but still up significantly from 47% in 2015 (Q9).

Confederate monuments. By a slight majority, voters oppose giving local

governments power to remove or alter Confederate monuments. State law now prohibits
local governments from removing or altering the monuments, and Virginia voters are split
on the issue. A slim 51% majority say they oppose or strongly oppose giving local
governments authority over the monuments and 44% say they support giving local
governments that option (Q16).

Marijuana. By a wide margin, Virginia voters say they support decriminalizing the
possession of small amounts of marijuana, making the offense subject to fines and fees
rather than jail time (Q19). While 83% support or strongly support decriminalization, 14%
oppose or strongly oppose the change. Possession is now a criminal offense.

Minimum wage. Nearly three-fourths (72%) of Virginia voters say they support
gradually raising the minimum wage in the state from its current $7.25 per hour up to
$10.10 per hour, while 25% say they oppose raising the minimum wage (Q18).

Payday and title lending. Virginia voters have largely negative views (Q20A and
Q20B) of payday lenders (64% very or somewhat negative versus 2% somewhat positive)
and car title lenders (55% very or somewhat negative versus 4% very or somewhat
positive), and 75% say they should be more regulated (Q22), while 7% say they should
not. By 84% to 6%, Virginia voters say annual interest rates on payday loans and car title
loans should be capped at a lower rate than their current rates (Q23). By 72% to 17%,
Virginia voters say they support or strongly support a proposal to cap the interest rates
on payday and title loans at 36 percent, plus a monthly service fee (Q24).
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In February 2020, the Wason Center will release the detailed cross-tab results of this
survey, analyzing the results by political party, region, age, race, sex and other factors.

Field Dates: November 11-22, 2019

901 Registered Virginia Voters
Overall Toplines Margin of Error = +/- 3.4%

Q1: Overall, would you say things in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA are heading more in the right
direction or the wrong direction?

1. Right 48
2. Mixed (vol) 11
3. Wrong 41
98. Dk/ref (vol) -

Trends: Oct. 2019 April 2019 Dec. 2018 Jan. 2018 Jan. 2017
Right 50 46 64 56 53
Mixed 18 14 11 11 12
Wrong 32 40 25 28 30
Dk/ref (vol) - 5 5 6

Q2: And how about the country …overall, would you say things in the UNITED STATES are heading more in
the right direction or the wrong direction?

1. Right 29
2. Mixed (vol) 16
3. Wrong 55
98. Dk/ref (vol) -

Trends: Oct. 2019 April 2019 Dec. 2018 Jan. 2018 Jan. 2017
Right 30 31 35 36 37
Mixed 8 11 15 11 7
Wrong 62 58 49 48 52
Dk/ref (vol) - 1 5 4

Q3: [READ] Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President?
[IF RESPONDENT IS UNSURE (“DON’T KNOW”, “DEPENDS”, “NOT SURE”, ETC.) PROBE ONCE
WITH: OVERALL do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President? IF
STILL UNSURE ENTER AS DON’T KNOW]

1. Approve 42
2. Disapprove 55
98. Dk/ref (vol) 3

Trends: Oct. 2019 April 2019 Dec. 2018 Sept. 2017 March 2017
Approve 37 44 35 35 37
Disapprove 61 54 57 58 59
Dk/ref (vol) 2 2 8 6 4

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Q4: [READ] Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ralph Northam is handling his job as Governor of Virginia?
[IF RESPONDENT IS UNSURE (“DON’T KNOW”, “DEPENDS”, “NOT SURE”, ETC.) PROBE ONCE
WITH: OVERALL do you approve or disapprove of the way Ralph Northam is handling his job as Governor? IF
STILL UNSURE ENTER AS DON’T KNOW]

1. Approve 52
2. Disapprove 36
98. Dk/ref (vol) 12

Trends: Oct. 2019 April 2019 Dec. 2018

Approve 51 40 59
Disapprove 37 49 24
Dk/ref (vol) 12 11 17

Q5: [READ] Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mark Herring is handling his job as Attorney General of
Virginia? [IF RESPONDENT IS UNSURE (“DON’T KNOW”, “DEPENDS”, “NOT SURE”, ETC.) PROBE
ONCE WITH: OVERALL do you approve or disapprove of the way Mark Herring is handling his job as Attorney
General? IF STILL UNSURE ENTER AS DON’T KNOW]

1. Approve 36
2. Disapprove 27
98. Dk/ref (vol) 37

Trends: Dec. 2018

Approve 59
Disapprove 24
Dk/ref (vol) 17

Q6: [READ] Do you approve or disapprove of the way Justin Fairfax is handling his job as Lieutenant Governor of
Virginia? [IF RESPONDENT IS UNSURE (“DON’T KNOW”, “DEPENDS”, “NOT SURE”, ETC.) PROBE
ONCE WITH: OVERALL do you approve or disapprove of the way Justin Fairfax is handling his job as
Lieutenant Governor? IF STILL UNSURE ENTER AS DON’T KNOW]

1. Approve 32
2. Disapprove 32
98. Dk/ref (vol) 36

Trends: Dec. 2018

Approve 35
Disapprove 13
Dk/ref (vol) 52

Q7: As you know, Virginia just held legislative elections and Democrats gained control of both the House of
Delegates and the state senate. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the results of the elections? [IF
RESPONDENT IS UNSURE (“DON’T KNOW”, “DEPENDS”, “NOT SURE”, ETC.) PROBE ONCE
WITH: OVERALL do you approve or disapprove of the election results? IF STILL UNSURE ENTER AS
DON’T KNOW]

1. Approve 51
2. Disapprove 41
98. Dk/ref (vol) 5

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Q8: The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would guarantee equal
legal rights for all American regardless of sex. Currently 37 states have approved the amendment, but it takes 38
states before it can be ratified. Supporters of the amendment want the Virginia General Assembly to approve it
during their upcoming session. What is your view, would you [RANDOMIZE: “support” or “oppose”]
approving this amendment? [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 54
2. Support 26
3. Oppose 6
4. Oppose strongly 7
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 7

Q9: Legislative election district boundaries are drawn for the Virginia General Assembly and the U.S. House of
Representatives every ten years after the census to reflect changes in population. Drawing the new political maps is
known as redistricting. How familiar are you with the redistricting process in Virginia, would you say…

1. Generally familiar 54
2. Not sure 19
3. Unfamiliar 26
98. Dk/Ref (vol) -

Trends: Dec. 2018 Jan 2018 Jan. 2017 Jan. 2016 Jan. 2015
Familiar 58 55 54 52 47
Not sure (vol) 5 3 2 1 2
Unfamiliar 37 41 43 47 51
Dk/ref (vol) 1 1 1 - 1

Q10: Last February the General Assembly passed a proposal to amend Virginia’s constitution to establish a
redistricting commission made up of qualified citizens and legislators - equally balanced by party, with a super
majority vote requirement, and transparency provisions. This commission would be responsible for drawing new
district boundaries. This proposal must be passed again in the upcoming General Assembly session before it can
come before voters for their approval Would you [RANDOMIZE: “support” or “oppose”] the General Assembly
passing this proposal a second time? [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 25
2. Support 45
3. Oppose 9
4. Oppose strongly 6
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 15

Q11: Some people have proposed changes to the way voter registration happens in Virginia by automatically
registering all eligible citizens to vote. I’d like to know if you support it or oppose this proposal. [INTERVIEWER:
PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 35
2. Support 29
3. Oppose 14
4. Oppose strongly 17
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 6

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Q12: One of the central debates in the most recent state legislative elections involved gun control. I’m going to
describe several gun control proposals that might come before the General Assembly this January, and for each one
I’d like to know if you support it or oppose it. [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR
‘SOMEWHAT’] [RANDOMIZE A-E]
A. Making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks

1. Strongly support 57
2. Support 29
3. Oppose 6
4. Oppose strongly 7
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 2

B. A ban on assault-style weapons

1. Strongly support 37
2. Support 17
3. Oppose 16
4. Oppose strongly 26
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 6

C. Allowing anyone who legally owns a gun to conceal carry without a permit

1. Strongly support 11
2. Support 12
3. Oppose 29
4. Oppose strongly 47
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 2

D. Allowing a family member or the police to seek a court order to temporarily take away guns if they feel a gun
owner may harm themselves or others

1. Strongly support 39
2. Support 34
3. Oppose 11
4. Oppose strongly 12
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 4

Q16: A proposal likely to come before the General Assembly would give local governments the authority to remove
or alter Confederate monuments. That is now prohibited by state law. I’d like to know if you support this proposal or
oppose it. [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 21
2. Support 23
3. Oppose 20
4. Oppose strongly 31
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 6

Q17: Currently in order to vote absentee, Virginia residents have to provide a reason why they can’t make it to the
polls on Election Day, such as a work responsibility, travel, or a health issue. There are proposals to allow 21 days
of no-excuse absentee voting before Election Day to make it easier to vote. Do you support or oppose these
proposals? [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 21
2. Support 23
3. Oppose 20
4. Strongly Oppose 31
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 6
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Q18: Another proposal that may come before the General Assembly is one to gradually raise the minimum wage in
Virginia from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour. Do you support or oppose these proposals? [INTERVIEWER:
PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 38
2. Support 34
3. Oppose 13
4. Strongly Oppose 12
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 3

Q19: Under current Virginia law the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana is treated as a major felony
that requires jail time. There are proposals before the General Assembly to “decriminalize” the possession of small
amounts of marijuana by making it a small offense with fines and fees but no jail time, rather than a major felony
with possible jail time. Do you support or oppose these proposals? [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR
‘STRONGLY’ OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly support 47
2. Somewhat support 36
3. Somewhat oppose 7
4. Strongly oppose 7
98. Dk/Ref (vol) 3

Q20: I’m going to read you the names of some types of financial institutions. For each please just tell me if your
opinion of that institution is very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative or very negative. If you
don’t have an opinion just say so. [ROTATE A & B]

A. Payday lenders

1. Very positive -
2. Somewhat positive 2
3. Neutral 14
4. Somewhat negative 19
5. Very negative 45
N. Never heard of them (vol) 11
D. Don’t know (vol) 7
R. Refused (vol) 1

B. Title lenders, also known as car title lenders

1. Very positive 1
2. Somewhat positive 3
3. Neutral 19
4. Somewhat negative 18
5. Very negative 37
N. Never heard of them (vol) 14
D. Don’t know (vol) 8
R. Refused (vol) 1

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Now I’d like to ask you some questions about payday and car title lending. Payday and title lenders are companies
that operate through storefronts or the Internet. They make small loans at annual interest rates that are usually
between 100 and 300 percent in Virginia.

Q22: Do you believe that payday and title loans should be more regulated or not?

1. Should be more regulated 75

2. Should not be more regulated 7
3. Payday but not title (vol) -
4. Title but not payday (vol) -
D. Don’t know (vol) 16
R. Refused (vol) 1

[ROTATE Q23 & Q24]

Q23: Payday loans in Virginia have annual interest rates averaging 251%, and title loans have interest rates
averaging 217%. Should annual interest rates be capped at a level lower than this, or not?

1. Should be 84
2. Should not be 6
3. Payday should but not title (vol) -
4. Title should but not payday (vol) -
D. Don’t know (vol) 9
R. Refused (vol) 1

Q24: Here is a proposal that the Virginia legislature may consider. After I read you the proposal, please tell me
whether you favor or oppose it. Legislators may cap the interest rates on payday and title loans at 36 percent, plus
allow a monthly servicing fee. Some payday and title lenders would close, while others would remain in business
charging lower prices. Do you favor or oppose this proposal? [INTERVIEWER: PROMPT FOR ‘STRONGLY’
OR ‘SOMEWHAT’]

1. Strongly Favor 38
2. Somewhat Favor 34
3. Somewhat Oppose 8
4. Strongly Oppose 9
D. Don’t know (vol) 10
R. Refused (vol) 1

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Demographics PARTY: In politics today, do you generally consider
Thank you. I have just a few questions about you to yourself to be a Republican, a Democrat, or an
make sure we are hearing from a wide range of Independent?
Virginians.
Republican 31
EDUC: Could you tell me the highest level of school Democrat 34
or college you had the opportunity to complete: Independent 30
No Preference (vol) 3
High school or less 45 Other Party (vol) 1
Dk/Ref (vol) 1
College or more 55
AGE: (Recorded as exact year of birth)
HISPANIC: Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic
or Latino? 18-24 9
25-34 12
Yes 4 35-44 15
No 95 45-54 23
Dk/ref (vol) 1 55 & older 41

RACE: Do you consider yourself to be: INCOME: And, just for statistical purposes, in which
of the following categories does your family income
White 72 fall?
Black or African American 19
Other 9 Under $25,000 3
$25-$49,999 11
RELIG: What is your religious preference, are you $50-$74,999 20
Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, another religion, $75-$99,999 15
or no religion? $100,000-$149,999 17
Over $150,000 24
Protestant 24 Dk/ref (vol) 10
Christian (non-specific) (vol) 25
Catholic 12 REGION:
Jewish 1
Other 17 Northern Virginia 34
None 18 Richmond/Central 21
Dk/ref (vol) 3 Hampton Roads 24
South/Southwest 21
IDEOL: When it comes to your ideology, would you
consider yourself to be a… SEX: [INTERVIEWER CODE]

Strong liberal 7 Male 49

Liberal 13 Female 51
Moderate, leaning liberal 22
Moderate, leaning conservative 16
Conservative 19
Strong Conservative 14
Dk/ref (vol) 8

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How the survey was conducted:
The results of this poll are based on 901 interviews of registered Virginia voters, including 399 on landline and 502
on cell phone, conducted November 11-22, 2019. Percentages may not equal 100 due to rounding. The margin of
error for the whole survey is +/- 3.4 % at the 95% level of confidence. All error margins have been adjusted to
account for the survey’s design effect, which is 1.1 in this survey. The design effect is a factor representing the
survey’s deviation from a simple random sample, and takes into account decreases in precision due to sample design
and weighting procedures. Sub samples have a higher margin of error. In addition to sampling error, the other
potential sources of error include non-response, question wording, and interviewer error. The response rate (AAPOR
RRI Standard Definition) for the survey was 13%. Five callbacks were employed in the fielding process. Live
calling was conducted by trained interviewers at the Wason Center for Public Policy Survey Research Lab at
Christopher Newport University. The data reported here are weighted using an iterative weighting process on
sex*age, race, education, mode or participation, and region of residence to reflect as closely as possible the
demographic composition of registered Virginia voters. Questions 20-24 were commissioned by The Pew Charitable
Trusts.

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