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The November 2002 election in California had the lowest voter turnout and the largest number of third-party gubernatorial candidate votes in the state's history. In the governor's election on November 5th, Democratic incumbent Gray Davis defeated Republican challenger Bill Simon by a 5-point margin. This paper summarizes the pre-election surveys that were conducted by our three polling organizations prior to the 2002 general election in California-the Field Poll, the Los Angeles Times Poll, and the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey. We focus our analysis on the political and economic context of this election, insights from a special survey on public attitudes toward the campaigns that was conducted up to the day before the election, the methodologies used in the pre-election surveys to overcome the challenges in this political environment, and a comparison of pre-election survey results to the Los Angeles Times exit poll. Taking into account variations in methods, low voter turnout, third-party voting, and voters' ambivalence toward the major party candidates, the pre-election surveys in the 2002 California governor's election were consistent over time and across polling organizations, and reasonably accurate in predicting the election results.

Evaluation of legislation and procedures in place to help recover species at risk of extinction is an important component of conservation efforts. Despite its biological importance and key role in species protection and recovery legislation, identification of critical habitat is inconsistently applied. We analyzed data from 126 recovery strategies implemented under Canada's nascent (2002) Species at Risk Act (SARA) to determine how lead agency, Federal Court rulings, and the proportion of independent team members influenced identification of critical habitat. Only 17% of strategies led by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans included critical habitat, compared with 63% of strategies led by Environment Canada, indicating that aquatic species at risk are much less likely to have critical habitat identified. A 50% increase in recovery strategies that identified critical habitat following precedent-setting court judgments suggests that legal action by nongovernmental organizations played a key role in the evolution of recovery policy for species at risk in Canada. The proportion of independent scientists on a recovery team was statistically unrelated to identification of critical habitat at a national scale, but case studies indicate that independent team members may play an important role in ensuring compliance and transparency during recovery planning. Key words: species at risk, conservation policy, recovery strategy, critical habitat. L'evaluation des legislations et procedures en place pour aider a recuperer des especes a risque d'extinction constitue une importante composante des efforts de conservation. En depit de son importance biologique et de son role crucial dans la protection des especes et la legislation de recuperation, l'identification des habitats critiques demeure appliquee de facon incoherente. Les auteurs ont analyse les donnees de 126 strategies de recuperation conduites sous la recente (2002) Loi sur les especes en peril (LSEP) du Canada, afin de determiner comment les organismes promoteurs, les reglements de la Cour federale et la proportion des membres independants de l'equipe ont influence l'identification des habitats critiques. Seulement 17% des strategies pilotees par Peches et oceas Canada portent sur des habitats critiques, comparativement a 63% des strategies menees par Environnement Canada, indiquant que les especes aquatiques a risque sont moins susceptibles de voir leur habitat considere a risque que les especes terrestres. L'augmentation de 50% des strategies de recuperation identifiant des habitats critiques suite a des poursuites legales faisant jurisprudence, indique que l'action legale par des organisations non gouvernementales joue un role cle dans revolution des politiques de recuperation pour les especes a risque au Canada. On ne trouve aucune relation statistique entre la proportion de scientifiques independants dans une equipe et l'identification d'habitats critiques a l'echelle nationale, mais des etudes de cas indiquent que les membres independants d'une equipe peuvent jouer un role important pour assurer le respect et la transparence au cours de la planification de la recuperation. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: especes a risque, politique de conservation, strategie de recuperation, habitat critique., Introduction National and international legislation is an important tool to help protect and recover species at risk of extinction. Examples include the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of the United States [...]