Texans overwhelmingly oppose Flock cameras and remain wary of data center construction, according to a new poll that also found an essentially tied U.S. Senate race.
Conducted August 24-26 by Overton Insights/Texas Public Policy Foundation, the poll of 1,167 likely voters shows overwhelming concern about license plate reader cameras, especially those offered by Flock Safety.
Opposition to Flock cameras totaled more than 63 percent, with 51 percent strongly opposing the technology. Only 28 percent of Texans expressed support.
There has been increasing public opposition to the technology over the past few months. Many Texans are raising concerns about Fourth Amendment violations and data privacy because Flock cameras allow law enforcement and private entities to track and retain the movements of drivers not suspected of crimes without a warrant.
David Dunmoyer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation has warned that “Texans do not own their own personal information. Texas has never granted its citizens title to their own data.” Texas lawmakers are expected to evaluate potential safeguards during the upcoming legislative session in January.
In addition to Flock cameras, the poll also asked voters about data centers. Fifty-four percent said they support a local ban on data centers, while 37 percent oppose it.
Data centers are a hotly debated topic in Texas as hundreds are being built. While some argue that data centers are a necessary part of state growth, others have expressed concerns about reduced quality of life, higher electric bills, and the large amounts of water that data centers consume.
To address some of these concerns, the poll asked if respondents would support new data centers in their community with safeguards such as limits on pollution and water usage. However, this changed the responses negligibly, with 37 percent supporting the proposal, and 53 percent still opposing data centers.
The poll found the Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico to be tight. In June, a UT Poll found Paxton ahead, 43 to 42 percent. However, in this poll, 43.4 percent said they would vote for Paxton if the election were held today and 44 percent would vote for Talarico.
However, the poll also asked respondents, “which Senate candidate do you lean toward the most?” For this question, 52.6 percent of respondents voted in favor of Paxton and 47.4 percent for Talarico.
With two months until Election Day, the Senate race remains close.
For the gubernatorial election, if it were held today, 46.9 percent said they would vote for Republican Greg Abbott and 45.8 percent said they would vote for Democrat Gina Hinojosa. However, when asked which candidate they leaned toward, respondents gave Abbott 58.5 percent and Hinojosa 41.5 percent.
On a lighter note, the poll also asked voters to resolve the debate over which Texas college has the most obnoxious fan base. Texas A&M University placed first with 29.7 percent, and the University of Texas came in at a close second with 27.4 percent.
The poll has a +/- 2.9% margin of error.
