Voter Recall Idea Resonates with Toronto Voters

TORONTO, Sept. 1 /CNW/ - A new poll focusing on Toronto's mayoral campaign finds strong support among voters for Voter Recall legislation.

When Toronto residents were asked if taxpayers should have the power to recall or remove their politicians between elections, a proposal introduced and announced by Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi, and supported by city councillor Rob Ford, 73% answered 'Yes, Toronto should have recall power', 22% answered 'No, Toronto should not have recall power', and 6% were undecided. Support for 'voter recall' was highest in Etobicoke - York (80%) and North York (74%) and lower in Scarborough (70%) and Toronto - East York (67%). Younger residents were more likely to support the idea, 18-34 (80%), 35-49 (72%), 50+ (69%).

Residents were asked to identify who they'd vote for, or are leaning towards voting for, among the current candidates for the October 25, 2010 Mayoral election. Among decided or leaning voters, 34% chose Rob Ford (up from 26% in June, 2010) compared to 22% (down from 29%) who picked candidate George Smitherman. Candidates Rocco Rossi (15%, up from 10%), Sarah Thompson (14%, down from 17%) and Joe Pantalone (11%, down from 12%) were trailing and 4% of residents selected someone else. Support for Rob Ford is concentrated in Etobicoke - York (39%) and North York (37%) and is highest among respondents aged 50+ (41%). Support for George Smitherman is concentrated in Toronto - East York (31%).

The poll was conducted by Forum Research with the results based on a telephone survey of 400 randomly selected Toronto residents, conducted from August 30th to August 31st 2010. Results are considered accurate +/- 4.9%, 19 times out of 20. The poll was sponsored by Toronto business executive Victor Pappalardo. This research is not necessarily predictive of future outcomes, but rather captures opinion at one point in time.

The key questions covered in the recent poll concerned:

'Voter Recall' Support

"In between elections if politicians are not living up to expectations and aren't getting the job done, the taxpayers in some cities across North America have the power to recall their politicians or remove them from office if they are not happy with them. Do you believe this is a power that Toronto taxpayers should have or not?"

    
    Yes, Toronto should have recall power - 73%
    No, Toronto should not have recall power - 22%
    Don't know - 6%
    

Mayoral Voting Intentions (Decided + Leaning)

"If the municipal election were held today, who would you vote for?" + "Which candidate for Mayor, if any, are you leaning towards?"

    
    Rob Ford - 34%
    George Smitherman - 22%
    Rocco Rossi - 15%
    Sarah Thompson - 14%
    Joe Pantalone - 11%
    Someone Else - 4%
    (Undecided) - (33%)
    

The complete poll results will be posted shortly at: www.forumresearch.com/mediacenter

    
    HIGHLIGHTS:

    - 73% of Residents Support Voter Recall Legislation

    - Rob Ford leads among decided/leaning residents (34%) followed by
      George Smitherman (22%)

    - Support for Rob Ford and Rocco Rossi is up compared to June 2010
      results (34% up from 26% for Ford; and 15% up from 10% for Rossi)

    - Support for George Smitherman is down from June 2010 (22% down from
      29%)
    

For further information: MEDIA INQUIRIES: Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D., President, Forum Research Inc., Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], e-mail: [email protected]