Sun/UB poll: What Marylanders think about overturning Roe, mandatory COVID school vaccines, mass shootings and a mid-summer election

Editor’s note: We polled nearly 1,000 likely Maryland voters not only on who they support for governor, attorney general and comptroller, but also on their feelings about topics very much in the news. Here’s what we found.

About three-quarters of Democrats support adding COVID-19 to the list of vaccines required for school children in Maryland, a new poll of likely voters done for Baltimore Sun Media and the University of Baltimore shows. About half Republicans oppose making the vaccine mandatory, reflecting the partisan nature of vaccinations that developed during the pandemic.

“Schools have always required shots before students can enter school to protect students and teachers from contagious diseases,” said Daria Hofmann, a 73-year old retired Howard County teacher and a registered Democrat. “I think that list should include COVID for everyone’s safety.”

Hofmann was among the 76% of Democrats polled who support the vaccine requirement. About 13% oppose such a mandate and 11% are unsure. Among Republicans, about 38% support a mandate, about half oppose it and 12% are unsure.

Zeecil Kimmel, a 47-year-old registered Republican, said he opposes a mandate for school children. “Unlike the importance of vaccinating adults, I am quite unsure of the benefits of vaccinating children, and I am equally unsure of the long-term risks of vaccinating children. The vaccines that are required today have been proven to be safe and prevent deathly illnesses.”

Hofmann and Kimmel both participated in the poll and agreed to follow-up interviews with a reporter, as did all the people quoted in this article. The survey of 562 Democratic and 428 Republican likely voters was conducted by Steve Raabe, president of OpinionWorks, an Annapolis-based firm, by phone and online between May 27 and June 2. Its margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points for Democrats and 4.7 percentage points for Republicans.

There is no plan to require the COVID-19 vaccine in schools by the state, which requires proof of immunization against almost a dozen other diseases such as chickenpox and measles before entering kindergarten and at other intervals. Maryland Department of Health officials strongly urge Marylanders to get COVID-19 vaccinations and said any local school system can impose more stringent requirements.

— Meredith Cohn

As the fate of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision hangs in the balance, an overwhelming number of Marylanders on both sides of the aisle say they are interested in keeping abortion legal in some form.

“Overall I would say I want it to be legal because, otherwise, it’s going to be done illegally,” said Democratic respondent and Silverspring resident Harise Wright, 69.

Among Democrats surveyed, 62% support legalizing abortion under any circumstance and 27% under certain circumstances. And while only 18% of Republican respondents said they support complete legalization, 62% are in favor of having abortion remain an option in certain situations.

“I don’t believe in abortion. I’m a Republican. I was raised as a Catholic,” White Marsh resident Tara Joyce, 45, said during a phone interview. “However … if there’s a medical necessity … I believe abortion should be legal in those instances.”

Republican men are more supportive of keeping some abortion services available. Sixty five percent of men from the GOP said they are in favor of maintaining access in some situations — nine points higher than Republican women.

“I think if you really don’t want to have a baby there are ways to keep from having a child,” said Republican respondent and Dundalk resident Mark Morgan. “Still, I can’t see outlawing abortion.”

Only 15% of Republicans and 5% of Democrats would like to see abortion banned.

Concerned about what could happen down the line, 68% of Democrats said they feel more compelled to vote in the November general election because of the high court’s impending decision on Roe v. Wade.

Last month, Politico published a leaked draft opinion penned by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito striking down the decision. The official opinion is expected this month.

Only 33% of Republicans said the Supreme Court decision was a motivating factor in voting, and 59% said it doesn’t make a difference in their choice to vote — 35-points higher than unbothered Democrats.

Asked if the Supreme Court factors into his voting plan, Morgan said “no.”

“Of course,” he added, “I’m a 62-year-old-man.”

Maryland increased access to reproductive health services this year with the passage of the Abortion Care Access Act. The legislation will allow more medical providers to offer abortion care services, provide $3.5 million to train clinicians and make coverage of abortions permanent under Maryland’s Medicaid system.

In the wake of Alito’s leaked opinion, Democrats pleaded with Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, to release the bill’s funding ahead of its July 1 enactment date. Hogan, who vetoed the bill during the 2022 legislative session, declined.

— Hannah Gaskill

Multiple mass shootings and rising crime numbers across the country in recent weeks have helped make crime a top concern for both Republicans and Democrats, according to the poll.

About 23% of Republicans and 21% of Democrats rated it as their top issue for the next governor to tackle. And roughly half respondents overall said they’ve made some changes to their daily life because of crime concerns in the last year or so.

Among Democrats, 53% of Black respondents said they’d made changes compared to 39% of white respondents. And 47% of women said they’d made changes compared to 37% of men. The answers were split fairly evenly across races and genders among Republicans.

“My thinking has changed for sure,” said Ronald Brooks, a retiree from Greenbelt. “I am more aware of my surroundings. When I go out to purchase gasoline, when I go to the store, I kind of look at people around me just a little closer and I don’t let people walk up on me and get close.”

Criminals, especially those who commit gun offenses, should face stricter mandatory sentences as a deterrence mechanism, said Brooks, 79.

Marie Marucci, 64, of Dundalk, said she’s a Baltimore native who used to frequently travel into the city’s Little Italy neighborhood for its restaurants and the Italian Heritage Festival. But she’s scaled that back.

“I don’t feel secure,” Marucci said. “It’s disappointing the response from the government officials there, or the lack of response.”

Marucci said she supports recent steps to eliminate “ghost guns” in Maryland, but otherwise believes the state’s gun laws are strict enough.

Three-quarters of Democrats said Maryland’s gun laws could be stronger, while only about a quarter of Republicans said the same. About half Republicans said the state’s gun laws were strict enough and about another quarter said Maryland should make it easier to buy and carry guns.

— Sam Janesch

Voting is about to get underway in Maryland’s twice-delayed primary, and voters will once again have multiple options for how to cast their ballot.

On June 9, ballots will be mailed to voters who have already requested them via mail, and emailed links will also be sent to the approximately 35,000 voters who have requested online ballots thus far. Voters have until July 12 to request a ballot by mail or July 15 for a ballot delivered online. The deadline to request a ballot in person is Election Day.

Ballot drop boxes will again be offered, and installation of the boxes began this week across the state.

For voters who opt to cast their ballots in person, early voting will begin on July 7 and continue through July 14. Polls will also be open on the July 19 primary day.

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The Sun/UBC poll found about a quarter of likely Maryland voters plan to cast their ballots by mail, but a stark divide emerged along political lines. Of Democrats, 32% said they would vote by mail, while just 15% of Republicans said they planned to. About 68% of Republicans said they planned to vote in person on primary day, while just 39% of Democrats had the same plan.

Republican Thomas Beegan, 64, of Middle River, said his comfort level increases when he votes in person — which he says he habitually does.

“I don’t really trust the mail system,” said Beegan. “I’ve been doing early voting in person. I’ve always preferred it to be in person.”

Prince George’s County Democrat Jeremiah Rush, 39, also plans to vote in person, but on Election Day.

”I like to see what’s going on, have an up-close view. Is it counted and looked at?” Rush said. “During the pandemic, I think I used the mail once.”

Democrat Stephanie Wright, 25, of Preston, Caroline County, said she has been mailing in her ballots during the pandemic — and even before — and will probably use the mail again. “I trust the process,” she said.

— Emily Opilo and Jeff Barker