A Field poll released today finds Californian voters evenly split in their choice of what to do about “ongoing legal delays in carrying out the death sentence in California.” 48 percent favor “[t]aking steps to speed up the execution process,” while 47 percent want to “[d]o away with [the] death penalty and replace it with life-in-prison without the possibility of parole.” The trend is in favor of the latter, however; in September 2014, the speed-up option led the abolition option 52 percent to 40 percent.
This poll is of more than academic interest to the Supreme Court, which is mandated to decide direct and automatic appeals from every California death sentence. Two competing initiatives might appear on November’s ballot offering voters the very choices about which the poll asks. Adoption of either would have a dramatic effect on the court’s caseload.
