California Voter Support for Redistricting Efforts
A recent Emerson College poll, released on Friday, indicates that nearly 60% of California voters back Governor Gavin Newsom’s gerrymandering initiatives. It suggests that 57% of likely voters favor Proposition 50, a measure set to appear on the November 4 ballot. This proposition would grant the Democratic-controlled state Legislature the authority to redraw five House districts, shifting them from Republican to Democratic. On the contrary, only 37% of voters oppose this initiative.
The poll reveals that 60% of voters, including those undecided, are in favor of the redistricting plan, while 40% are against it. The Emerson College Polling Executive Director, Spencer Kimball, noted that with less than two weeks before the special election for Proposition 50, the proposal has a solid chance of passing, and the results fall outside the poll’s margin of error. Interestingly, support for the proposition has surged among certain demographics, including Black voters, with approval increasing from 45% to 71% over the last month.
The data also shows that 56% of respondents, regardless of their voting intentions, view the proposed voting system positively, while 44% consider it negative. Among those intending to vote “yes,” an impressive 89% view the redistricting as a good idea, whereas 93% of “no” voters think it’s bad. This is a marked increase from a previous Emerson poll in September, where only 51% of voters indicated support for the proposal.
In a month-old Politico poll, support for returning redistricting powers to California’s Board of Redistricting was considerably lower, at just 36%.
Governor Newsom has been advocating for this redistricting effort in response to actions taken by Texas Republicans to redraw their own map, potentially benefitting them in elections. Former President Barack Obama criticized these gerrymandering tactics and suggested that they aim to manipulate district boundaries to secure Republican advantages.
Democratic megadonor George Soros allegedly contributed $10 million to Newsom’s redistricting campaign. Additionally, Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix and a significant supporter of Democratic causes, has pledged $2 million to aid these efforts.
Emerson College’s survey was conducted on October 20 and 21, reaching 900 likely California voters through text messages. The poll has a margin of error of approximately ±3.19 percentage points.
