Poll gives Kerry lead over Bush in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Democrat John Kerry leads President Bush 47 per cent to 41 per cent among registered voters in Florida, according to a poll released on Thursday that showed independent Ralph Nader with 4 per cent.

In a two-way race, Kerry leads Bush 49 per cent to 42 per cent, according to the poll of 1,092 registered Florida voters conducted last week by the Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. The poll's error margin was three percentage points.

Among independent voters in the key battleground state, 51 per cent supported Kerry while 34 per cent said they would vote for Bush and 12 per cent were undecided.

A similar poll taken in late June before the Democratic convention showed Bush and Kerry tied at 43 per cent among registered voters, with Kerry then holding a 12-point lead over Bush among independent voters.

The poll showed most Florida voters have already made up their minds, with only 12 per cent saying they might change their choice in the weeks ahead.

In 2000, Bush defeated Democratic challenger Al Gore by 537 votes in Florida after a lengthy court fight in which Democrats said the votes of many of their supporters were not counted.

Only 47 per cent of respondents in the recent poll said they were very satisfied that their vote would be counted correctly this time, and only one in five said they were very confident the new touch-screen technology would alleviate Florida's election woes.

- REUTERS