(TNS) — Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly think video gaming machines should be taxed and not banned, an annual fee should be imposed on electric vehicle owners and recreational marijuana should be legalized.
That’s according to a new poll from Franklin & Marshall College, which surveyed just over 1,000 registered voters across the state. The poll asked about political races but also topical issues on the agenda in Harrisburg.
Players trying to win money on video gaming machines, or “Pennsylvania Skill” games, can be found in bars, convenience stores, gas stations and social clubs across the state.
A unanimous ruling by the state Commonwealth Court in November deemed that the skill games are not slot machines or illegal gambling devices under Pennsylvania’s crimes code and cannot be seized by state police or other law enforcement agencies.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said they would oppose banning skill games while 32% said they would support a ban.
A majority, 51%, said they would favor imposing taxes and regulations on skill games while 24% said they would allow them to continue unregulated and 16% said they would ban them.
If the choice were simply between regulating skill games or not, 60% said they would favor regulating and taxing them.
With electric vehicles (EV) becoming more popular, the state Legislature is considering a bill to impose an annual $290 registration fee on owners, which would be the highest fee of its kind in the country. Lawmakers have said the fee is needed because EV owners do not pay gas taxes like gasoline-powered vehicle owners do.
Like revenue from the gas tax, proceeds from the EV fee would go into the Motor License Fund to pay for highway infrastructure projects and support the state police.
The poll found that 59% of voters favor an annual fee for EVs, with 42% saying they “strongly” felt that way, and 38% said they would oppose one.
A clear majority of Pennsylvanians (63%) also think recreational marijuana should be legalized. The state has a medical marijuana program, but recreational marijuana remains illegal.
Forty-four percent said Pennsylvania should definitely legalize marijuana and 19% said probably, while just 22% said it definitely should not and 11% said the state probably should not.
Of the six states that border Pennsylvania only West Virginia has yet to legalize recreational marijuana.