Polls shows most Oklahomans favor cockfighting ban

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Opponents of legalized cockfighting say they aren't suprised by the findings of a poll showing that most Oklahomans favor a ban. "That means if it goes to a vote today, it will

Monday, February 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Opponents of legalized cockfighting say they aren't suprised by the findings of a poll showing that most Oklahomans favor a ban. "That means if it goes to a vote today, it will be the law that cockfighting will be banned in Oklahoma," said anti-cockfighting activist Janet Halliburton, head of the Oklahoma Coalition Against Cockfighting.

Almost three out of four Oklahomans want to ban cockfighting, according to a new poll commissioned by The Daily Oklahoman. The poll surveyed 431 state residents over the phone earlier this month. The survey showed 74 percent of those polled want cockfighting outlawed, including 85 percent of women and more than 60 percent of men. The poll has a 5 percent margin of error.

Halliburton was behind a signature-gathering effort to get the issue on the November ballot. Her group needed 69,887 valid signatures. They got 99,309 of them. The group's initiative petition seeks to make cockfighting and related activities a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico are the only states where cockfighting is legal.

But before the issue goes to a vote, the initiative petition must withstand a legal challenge from the 7,000-member Oklahoma Gamefowl Breeders Association and two individuals, who question the petition's wording and signatures. There is no timetable on when the Oklahoma Supreme Court may act on the challenges.

James Tally is president of the Gamefowl Breeders Group. He said the poll's numbers are based on the myth surrounding the activity, not the reality. "The people who are against it really don't know about it, don't understand it," Tally said. "They go on a lot of rumors and things that have been put out about it. I feel anyone who understood it would have a different feeling."

Fellow cockfighting proponent Tom Hargus agreed. "You make polls to tell you about anything you want it to tell you," he said. "If everybody would mind their own business, we wouldn't be in this fiasco."

Other poll findings: 49 percent of people thought violators of a cockfighting ban should face a fine, rather than jail time. Another 32 per cent thought punishment should include a fine and jail time, while 4 percent favored only a jail sentence.

The poll also showed wide, but not deep knowledge of the issue. It found 82.4 per cent of respondents know that cockfighting is now allowed, though 44 per cent wrongly believed that gambling on cockfights is legal. It is a misdemeanor.