A new statewide poll is out and shows that I-594, requiring criminal background checks for people buying firearms at gun shows or on the internet, has the support of more than 61 percent of registered voters surveyed. The measure’s dueling counterpart, I-591, which would prevent the government from confiscating firearms without due process and implementing background checks unless a federal standard is established, is backed by about 42 percent of the respondents.

The KCTS-9 Washington Poll was conducted by land line and cell phone between Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, and is based on a survey of 602 registered voters.

The poll also found that I-1351 — reducing school class size — is supported by 56 percent of those sampled.

A number of interesting questions were asked in the voter survey. Nearly half of those queried, for example, strongly agree or agree that a state income tax should be imposed on wealthy households. On the question of which party is trusted more to make the right decisions and improve economic conditions in Washington, Democrats received the support of 40.9 percent to 35.2 percent for Republicans.

The poll found that nearly 49 percent of Washington residents feel the state is “going in the right direction,” while 36.3 percent felt the state is “on the wrong track.” About 14 percent said they didn’t know.

As to whether undocumented immigrants should be allowed to remain in the U.S. And eventually become citizens, 72.5 percent strongly agree or agree.

While only 22 percent approve of the performance of Congress, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have very favorable or favorable ratings of 53.8 percent and 56.4 percent, respectively. Nearly 54 percent of the respondents gave Gov. Jay Inslee a favorable rating.