This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., from Jan. 21 to 23. A total of 800 registered Colorado voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. All stated they vote regularly in state elections.

Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was used in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect the voter turnout by county.

The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means there is a 95 percent probability that the "true" figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a regional or gender grouping.