Jacksonville, Fla. — A new survey from the University of North Florida found that most Floridians are against a 15-week abortion ban and restricting conversations about LGBTQ issues in schools.
Both are GOP priorities running at the State Capitol this year.
Only 31 percent of Floridians support a 15-week abortion ban, with the exception of rape and incest, according to a new UNF survey.
UNF political scientist Michael Binder helped conduct the vote. He said that even though 60 percent oppose the policy, it's no surprise that Republicans are pushing the issue.
Republicans are more supportive of the issue though. 57 percent support it, or even drop to 51 percent when you point out that there is no allowance for rape and incest Still above 50 per cent,” Binder said.
This is a top issue for voter Ricky Buckley.
"When it comes to abortion, I'm pro-life," Buckley said.
The survey also found that voters oppose banning conversations about LGBTQ issues in K-5 schools by a margin of 49 to 40. But again, 54 percent of Republicans support the idea.
“And it might give you a clue as to why this is happening in Tallahassee. They have a basis behind this,” Binder said.
Jacksonville voter Jill Gardner said it was an issue she was considering as she cast her vote on Tuesday.
“Talking about saying no to schools and gays or whatever in schools. I think a lot more needs to be talked about,” Gardner said.
Binder was most surprised to see Floridians' 76 percent support for legalizing recreational marijuana.
"It's very different from what we've seen. Heck even Republicans support it at 64 percent," Binder said.
Conservative-leaning voter Ann Wright told us that legalization is a topic she has come to support.
"I don't know if it's realistic to keep it more restricted," Wright said.
Even with the election results, Binder predicts that Republicans' prospects in November appear promising.
“The state is trending in red. You know for the first time Republicans have outnumbered Democrats in registration and things probably look great for DeSantis in November,” Binder said.
But he notes that marijuana can be a swing issue in heavily contested elections.
"How many statewide Democrats have been elected in this state in a long time? You know, Nikki Fried is the only one right now and she runs exclusively on the issue of marijuana. That's exactly what got her to the top of a very tight race." helped me,” Binder said.
And Binder said both the parties are likely to lean on these social issues to induce higher turnout in the coming elections.
“That’s one thing to always keep in mind. Fear is a great motivator to get people to vote,” Binder said.
But he said it is unlikely that hot button issues will influence voters in any significant way from party to party.