Poll: Ohio Voters Say No to Drivers Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
By Regina Sass
Published Nov 14, 2007

associatedcontent.com


There has been a big resurgence in the issue of illegal immigration because there is talk in some states to allow them to obtain drivers licenses, and issue that nationally does not have a great deal of support. The latest Quinnipiac Poll take a look at the opinion of the voters in Ohio on this issue.

By an overwhelming number, 84% to 11%, the voters in Ohio oppose issuing the drivers licenses. They also are in favor of building a fence along the border with Mexico and the creation of a national ID card to be issued to everyone who is in the country legally. By a margin of 61 to 35%, they oppose letting the children of illegal immigrants get a free education.

There is a majority, 55%, who say that they should be allowed to apply to become legal and 38% who say they should be deported. And close to 70% oppose giving them and government benefits like health insurance, welfare or food stamps.

Some of the other facts that turned up in the survey are that 67% think illegal immigrants hurt more than help the country, while 73% say the opposite and think they actually help. By a margin of 53 to 34% they say that the immigrants work at jobs that no one else wants.

Also, by a margin of 82 to 12% the voters of Ohio want stronger penalties for anyone who employs an illegal immigrant. They also oppose issuing a special kind of drivers license that could not be used to board a plane by a margin of 75 to 17%, less that those who oppose them getting a regular drivers license. A majority, 61%, say all who are in the county legally, citizens and non citizens, should be issued tamper proof ID cards and there is 60% who say we should build a fence along the border with Mexico

The Democratic Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, is doing better with the voters than the President is with 61% of the Ohio voters giving him a positive approval rating 15% a negative one. Back in September, the numbers were 58% positive and 15% negative. And maybe most surprisingly he has a positive approval rating among the Republican voters of 51% and a negative one of 21%.

The poll was taken between November 6 - 11. The participants in the poll were 1,231 voters in Ohio and it has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 %