New Jersey voters support a marijuana legalization referendum that’s on their ballots by a nearly three-to-one margin, according to a new poll released on Friday.
The Stockton University Polling Institute survey found that when likely voters were asked whether they “support or oppose a constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana in New Jersey,” 66 percent were in favor, compared to 23 percent in opposition.
A separate poll released last week found that voters back the Garden State marijuana referendum by a similar margin of 61 percent to 29 percent. Another survey last month showed 65 percent of voters in support of the cannabis ballot question.
In a press release, the pollsters from Stockton emphasized that “margins in actual election results for ballot questions are typically less than found in the polls” and that “the reason may be that the number of voters who actually cast votes at the end of the ballot, where public questions are placed, are generally fewer than at the top of the ballot.”
That could be a concern for cannabis legalization advocates since the New Jersey referendum is on the back of the ballot, where some voters may not see it. In light of that, activists have made a concerted effort to get voters to “turn the page” to make sure they weigh in on the marijuana question.