Voters in California are now effectively split in their views on repealing the state’s death penalty, according to a new poll from USC/LA Times released Friday. Forty-five percent of the 1,440 likely voters polled oppose Proposition 34 (banning the death penalty), while 43 percent support repeal. The numbers are within the 2.58 percent margin of error, making it a statistical dead heat.
The survey represents a big shift from the previous USC/LA Times poll from mid-September, which showed 50 percent opposed to the new ban and only 39 percent in support of outlawing the death penalty. The PollTracker average now shows opposition for the repeal at 46 percent, with support at 43 percent.
