California: more voters turning against new ballot measures

Opposition is growing to the four ballot measures supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his campaigning for them may be having a negative effect.Voters were asked if they were more inclined to vote yes or to vote no on a measure that had been endorsed by the governor, said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. The poll found 69 percent of Democrats and 46 percent of nonpartisans said they would vote no on a measure endorsed by Schwarzenegger.

Todd Harris, spokesman for Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team, said the governor's private polling shows a close race on the initiatives and that Schwarzenegger is still a convincing spokesman.

In order to measure any shift in voter attitudes before the Nov. 8 election, the Field Poll conducted two surveys - one during Oct. 18-24 and a second during Oct. 25-30, the AP reports.

Proposition 74, which would lengthen the probationary term of new teachers, was supported by 44 percent of likely voters in the first survey with 47 percent opposed and 9 percent undecided. In the second poll, support remained the same but opposition had grown to 50 percent with 6 percent undecided.

The same was true for Proposition 75, which would restrict the use of union dues for political purposes. In the first poll, 44 percent of voters supported it, 45 percent were opposed and 11 percent undecided. A week later support had fallen to 40 percent, with 50 percent opposed and 10 percent undecided. A.M.