Despite Recent Foul-Ups, Support For Death Penalty Remains High In State
Oklahomans give overwhelming support to death penalty, poll finds
By Graham Lee Brewer
Despite three recent botched attempts leading to a state-ordered moratorium on executions, a majority of Oklahomans continue to support the death penalty, according to new polling data.
A poll of 500 registered voters conducted last week by The Oklahoman in partnership with Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates found that 67 percent of Oklahomans support the death penalty, with 49 percent expressing strong support.
“(The state) may have made a mistake, but I don’t believe they should stop doing their duty to society …,” said Elizabeth Heath, 21, of Tulsa, a poll respondent who said she supports the death penalty and opposes the moratorium.
“I do believe they need to have some safe walls, maybe more people checking they have the right drugs, but if it’s scheduled that they are set to die at this particular time, I think it should be carried out.”
But support for the death penalty in Oklahoma could be waning. The poll found that 24 percent oppose the death penalty, double the amount of those surveyed in a 2014 Tulsa World poll that found 74 percent of Oklahomans supported the death penalty while only 12 percent were in opposition.