Poll: Voters favor tribal issue

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2002 | 11:16 a.m.

PHOENIX -- A measure backed by 17 Indian tribes is receiving the most voter support among the three gambling initiatives on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to a poll released Monday.

Proposition 202 is supported by 50 percent of all registered voters, according to a poll conducted by television station KAET and the journalism school at Arizona State University. Another 34 percent oppose the measure; 16 percent are undecided.

Proposition 202 and the competing measures, Proposition 200 and Proposition 201, would all increase the amount of casino gambling in Arizona, and each promises various amounts of money for state programs. Propositions 202 and 200 would keep gambling on Indian reservations while Proposition 201 would also allow slot machines at horse and dog tracks.

But the KAET poll shows Proposition 202 is the only one to draw more support than opposition.

Proposition 200, which is backed by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, is supported by 21 percent of all registered voters and opposed by 64 percent, according to the KAET poll. Fifteen percent remain undecided.

Proposition 201, which is sponsored by the race track industry, is supported by 21 percent of all registered voters and opposed by 65 percent, the poll shows. Fourteen percent are undecided.

The poll is based on interviews with 514 registered voters. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.