New Bipartisan Poll Shows Support for Supreme Court to Establish Clear Rules for Gerrymandering

Issues

Nearly three-quarters of voters support the U.S. Supreme Court establishing clear rules for when gerrymandering violates the Constitution, with broad support extending across partisan and racial lines

WASHINGTON – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released a poll that finds strong opposition to gerrymandering among likely 2020 general election voters and broad, bipartisan support for the U.S. Supreme Court to set clear rules for when gerrymandering violates the Constriction. The poll, commissioned by CLC, was conducted by a Democratic firm, ALG Research, and a Republican firm, GS Strategy Group.

The poll also reveals that voters strongly support the creation of independent redistricting commissions and overwhelmingly prefer congressional districts with no partisan bias, even if it means fewer seats for their own party.

“The results of this poll confirm that we have overwhelming support from the public for the argument we will be making before the Supreme Court in March,” said Paul Smith, vice president of CLC. “Voters hold deeply negative views towards gerrymandering. In addition to the strong desire to see the Supreme Court act to limit gerrymandering, people have expressed a clear preference for the creation of independent redistricting commissions, which voters supported in all five states where it was put to a vote in the 2018 cycle. Removing partisanship from the redistricting process will help ensure that every voice is heard in our democracy.”

Findings include:

  • Nearly three-quarters of voters support the U.S. Supreme Court establishing clear rules for when gerrymandering violates the Constitution, with broad support extending across partisan and racial lines.
    • Support is especially intense among Latinos, 55 percent of whom strongly support the Supreme Court setting such rules.
  • At least 60 percent of Democrats, Independents and Republicans support the creation of independent redistricting commissions.
  • When asked to choose whether boundaries for legislative and congressional districts should be drawn by state legislatures or by an independent redistricting commission, voters favor the latter by a nearly three-to-one margin.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday that arguments for the North Carolina and Maryland partisan gerrymandering challenges will be heard on March 26, 2019.

Individual voters across the country continue to express frustration about the impact of gerrymandering on democracy in their state. Read the story of CLC’s plaintiff, Faulkner Fox, who said, “I want to live in a state where voters know that their vote matters. I love North Carolina, and it breaks my heart that it’s not that kind of place right now.” The case, which CLC is arguing with its co-counsel the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, is called League of Women Voters of North Carolina v. Rucho. A companion case is Common Cause v. Rucho.